V1 Interactive recently shared the somber news that the studio will be shutting down. The news comes one year after the release of V1’s debut title Disintegration which received mixed reviews from critics.
V1 has yet to provide an exact reason for the closure, but one could assume the combination of the pandemic mixed with the general reception to Disintegration resulted in an uphill battle to keep the studio going.
V1 Interactive Announces Studio Closure
We are sad to inform you that V1 Interactive is officially closing.
We want to thank all the talented people at V1, both past and present, who helped make the last 5 years wonderful.
And a heartfelt thanks to the amazing community that supported us. pic.twitter.com/XX6Sxtc32o— V1 Interactive (@V1Interactive) March 8, 2021
On social media, V1 Interactive announced the studio will be closing 5 years after it was founded by Marcus Lehto, former Creative Art Director at Bungie. To some, the closure may not come as much of a surprise given how the studio’s debut title Disintegration fared after its release.
In November of 2020, a mere five months after its June release, V1 shut down Disintegration’s multiplayer mode. At the time it was noted that Disintegration’s player base showed an interest in the single player campaign even though its multiplayer mode failed to find a large enough audience.
“We believe the video game industry needs constant innovation, and we will continue to take risks, follow creative visions, and support new ideas,” the team wrote.
In January 2021, V1 tweeted that like many game companies over the last year, their office had transitioned into a “work from home environment” with several employees sharing photos of their home desk spaces.
Nothing felt off about this at the time, but knowing that V1 Interactive is closing, it’s hard to not think that complications caused by the pandemic could have come into play in regards to expanding and improving Disintegration.
The game showed a lot of promise and offered a wonderfully refreshing, unique concept. It wasn’t a bad game by any means. Additionally, other games have struggled since the pandemic, with many suffering from delays as teams adjust to working from home during a time of great mental stress.
While some studios abruptly close, leaving former employees to fend for themselves, this doesn’t sound like it’s the case with V1. In a tweet from Marcus Lehto, the studio had reportedly been transparent with employees for months about its impending closure.
“At V1, our priority has been to the wellbeing of our employees. We’ve been transparent with them about the state of things for months and are making this decision now so they still have ample time to search for new jobs while being supported by our studio.”
All in all, it’s sad to hear that V1 Interactive is closing and we wish the employees affected by the studio’s closure the best in all their future endeavours. We’re also curious to hear what you think about the announcement. Is this something you saw coming, or are you surprised and disheartened to learn that V1 Interactive is closing?
Feel free to share your thoughts with us on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter.
