[Kifimbo]

On his blog (in French), Aurelien Regard, co-founder of Arkedo Studio (Hell Yeah, Arkedo series), confirmed Arkedo will not new games in the future. The company still exists, and two little games are apparently done and will be launch eventually. But it's now an empty shell (no employee left).

Regard gives three reasons:

1. Not enough money.

2. Hell Yeah was too big for them.

3. Founders want to do something else. One will enter publishing. The other wants to start a new mini-studio.

http://aurelien-regard.blogspot.fr/2...ur-arkedo.html

[V_Ben]

Whaaaaat :( I love Arkedo :(

[NotLiquid]

What? This blows. Hell Yeah was flawed but it showed fantastic future promise. Did it not do well?

[jay]

God damn it. They made some cool games. I still need to hunt down Nervous Brickdown.

[Jawmuncher]

What? This blows. Hell Yeah was flawed but it showed fantastic future promise. Did it not do well?

Most people didnt even know it came out.
Also I didn't see it sell a lot even when it was like 2 bucks on steam sales.

[LiK]

Kickstarter

[Stitch]

Hell Yeah was too big for them.

Yeah, they were also never able to support it.
Many people can't even start it and there's absolutely no fix for it.

[OnPoint]

Arkedo was at their best with smaller games, like those found in the Arkedo Series (Jump!, Pixel) or Big Bang Mini. Sad that Hell Yeah was their last hurrah, but if they were done making smaller projects it's probably for the best.

[Son of Cervantes]

Shame, they had such promise. I had all their Indie titles as well as Hell Yeah on 360. Hell Yeah had some control issues, but was overall a decently fun game. Was looking forward to seeing what they could come up with next.

[Empty]

oh man that's so sad :(

i had a really good time with hell yeah

[Miruhoggu]

There's an english translation on Aurélien's blog, now.

Basically, they made two little projects with their own money after HY, but couldn't find steady contracts to continue to run a studio which got bigger than expected. Since they also wanted to go back to smaller indie projects and even personal projects in the future, they decided to stop before having debts. No one is working there anymore, but Arkedo still exists so that they can try to release their last two small games under the studio's name.

Camille (boss and chef) is taking a break from videogames because of a hitch with it's Nice Guys project. Aurélien is making a game on his own, from coding to visuals and music, with the creation of a new small studio in mind in the coming years.

[MightyHedgehog]

Sad, but not unexpected when HY wasn't much of a hit. I would prefer smaller titles, like their XBLIG/PSN Arkedo Series, anyway, so I hope those can continue someday.

[1-D_FTW]

It's a shame. Not surprised, though. Those credits rolled on forever. Didn't get the greatest reviews either, so I'm sure that impacted sales. It was a game that was best played in shorter spurts... not something you had to play in one sit down for a deadline.

Think they were really on the cusp of something special too. You look at somebody like Klei and how they went from Shank (which always showed potential), to finally putting it all together with Mark of the Ninja. I felt Arkedo could have did this given another game. Hell Yeah is vastly superior to the Shank series. They were so close to putting it all together and creating greatness.

[OnPoint]

It's a shame. Not surprised, though. Those credits rolled on forever. Didn't get the greatest reviews either, so I'm sure that impacted sales. It was a game that was best played in shorter spurts... not something you had to play in one sit down for a deadline. Think they were really on the cusp of something special too. You look at somebody like Klei and how they went from Shank (which always showed potential), to finally putting it all together with Mark of the Ninja. I felt Arkedo could have did this given another game. Hell Yeah is vastly superior to the Shank series. They were so close to putting it all together and creating greatness.

Actually might have made a lot of sense releasing a level or two at a time and charging $5 for smaller chunks, now that you mention it.

[Oersted]

Big Bang Mini was their crowning archievement. Sad news.

[HoodWinked]

in a sea of shit, their series were the few games that actually look like effort was put into them in the xbox indie games.

too bad the massage, minecraft clones, and baby maker is what its deteriorated to.

[DrAndonuts]

That's really disappointing. Hell Yeah didn't work for me, but I loved their previous games. It's cool that they've got two left in the chamber, though, looking forward to them.

[jesusraz]

I was gutted they canned the WiiWare version of Big Bang Mini. I always suggested to Camille that releasing the different levels of BBM DS as DSiWare downloads at the time would have been a possible money-spinner, but unfortunately the idea was dismissed.

[SalsaShark]

holy fucking shit

this is the worst news ive heard in quite a while. God dammittttttttttttttttttttttt

[Raptomex]

Hell Yeah was a bit much with the QTEs but it was still a decent game. Shame.

[vagabondarts]

They have a great sense of design. I expect their publishing ventures to be exceptional!

[DimmuBurgerKing]

Really sad news. I loved Jump and Pixel.

[cuyahoga]

Man, this is a bummer. I loved the Arkedo series, and would've loved to see them find a new home somewhere like iOS to keep on pushing out volumes.

[Elixist]

that sucks, best of luck to them. i really liked pixel, but HY looked crap to me.

[badgenome]

Noooo. I love these guys. :(

[Bluforce]

Sad news. Hell Yeah is great.

[Host Samurai]

Hell No!

[baphomet 666]

That fucking blows.

I did my part and purchased everything they put out, as well as double dipping on hell yeah. This bums me out more than any other dev closing except for psygnosis : /

[1-D_FTW]

Hell Yeah was a bit much with the QTEs but it was still a decent game. Shame.

It was a couple gameplay tweaks away from being something really special. I still enjoyed it, but as I mentioned above, it's the type of game you needed to quit as soon as you started getting irritated. Then come back to it the next day. If you do that, it's still a fantastic game I'd recommend.

[the TMO]

Pixel is one of the best platform out there.

[GolazoDan]

NOOOOOOO! HELL YEAH WAS AWESOME.

And I will never forgive Patrick Klepek for saying, on the Giant Bomb GOTY deliberations, that it was "an average game". Maybe the people were right about you all along, Klepek.

[Atomski]

Thats a damn shame..

[CheesecakeRecipe]

That's really unfortunate. Hell Yeah! seemed like a favorite for many.

[jooey]

"won't make new games" is a weird new way of saying "shutting down."

[ROBOKITTYZILLA]

I really liked Hell Yeah! :(

[Dr_Biscuit]

Hell no ! That sucks.

[starmud]

someone, give them the money to make big bang mini 3D ;____; someone!

[RionaaM]

It truly is a shame. I loved Hell Yeah!, it was genuinely funny and engaging. It managed to keep my attention straight from beginning to end, save for a couple of side missions that I skipped.

I would have liked to see what they could do next, I hope someday to see another game by them, if not under the Arkedo name, at least with the same style as Hell Yeah!. I should look into their other games too, as many people in this thread seem to have enjoyed them.

[metsallica]

The definition of a studio crafting labors of love. I'll follow you guys anywhere, Arkedo. Get some stuff up on Kickstarter and let me give you some real money, please.

[Jay-B]

Damn :(

[jediyoshi]

Crazy. At worst I would've imagined them going back into iOS games if it didn't work out

[Barkley's Justice]

Fuck.

[Krabboss]

That's a shame. I was hoping in their next game they'd do something like Hell Yeah but with a bit less repetition. Clever game, great style, but not the most substance in the world. Sucks to see em call it quits.

[fastkilr]

Oh man. They made some neat ones. No fun watching cool small devs go out.

[Letters]

What a shame. I really liked their game with the cat on xbox indies, Pixel was the name iirc.

[Slermy]

Aww... :( They were a great developer.

Looking at their release list, I bought nearly every one of their games, and Hell Yeah! twice (360 & Steam):

Nervous Brickdown Big Bang Mini Arkedo Series - 01 JUMP! Arkedo Series - 02 SWAP! Arkedo Series - 03 PIXEL! OMG: Our Manic Game Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit

Arkedo Series - 02 SWAP! and OMG: Our Manic Game are the only two I didn't grab. Also bought Pix'n Love Rush, which stars the cat from PIXEL!

[honorless]

Aw, I'm bummed. Arkedo really seemed to be coming into their own :(

But I'll look forward to the individual members' projects and I hope whatever mischief Camille is up to works out.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

I loved the smaller Arkedo titles but Hell Yeah just seemed like such a departure from their earlier work in tone and a shift towards trying to attract a more mainstream audience. It felt like they sold out to me.

I just preferred the cuter, more charming vibe, I guess.

[Winnie the Pimp]

Shame, i really liked Big Bang Mini... such a unique game with a special atmosphere...

[heckmanimation]

damn. i loved the hell yeah demo. havent got around to buying the game yet though.