Earlier we posted rumors that Factor 5 laid off half its staff. Now comes word the whole studio just closed. I guess everyone's answer to the economy is just to give up.
This one still gets the rumor tag because there's no name on the source. But says IGN's Matt Casamassina over on their boards (subscription required):
(Casamassina) [I w]as hoping the rumors werent true. Contacted Julian over at F5 to shed some light, but he didnt get back to me. Got an e-mail from an inside source tonight:
Hi Matt,
How have you been? Havent seen you guys since E3. I hope that youre doing well!
[Redacted] wanted me to contact you with some late breaking news. We just learned from inside sources that developer Factor 5 has officially closed their doors as of today. Thats some pretty big news considering that those guys have been around for quite a while. Its definitely a real shame! I hope that this information is helpful to you. Take care, and please say hi to Bozon for me.
Slavik81 said:What? Roque Squadron 1 and 2 were fantastic. Some of the best games on their respective systems.
And the disappointment that was Rogue Squadron 3 was not overlooked, especially by their hardcore fans.
JohnTinker said:So if these supposed Pilotwings or Kid Icarus projects actually existed at one point or another, could we potentially see some disgruntled ex-employees spilling the beans on these projects or would they still be under NDA even though they no longer work for F5?
They were killed before they can make the shift. Reminds me of the "scorched earth" tactics.maxmars said:So basically two developers who were to provide a few "traditional" games for the wii just went under?
I think so too, but if they actually did work on these projects you'd think someone would've snuck out some concept art or some sort of game asset to show what they'd been working on.bdouble said:I'm one to believe that the project they were working on wasn't Pilotwings or Kid Icarus. It was probably a brand new IP.
Neo C. said:They were killed before they can make the shift. Reminds me of the "scorched earth" tactics.
If these projects were in the works than I would have thought that Nintendo would be paying them to make these . . . meaning they wouldn't be going under.JohnTinker said:So if these supposed Pilotwings or Kid Icarus projects actually existed at one point or another, could we potentially see some disgruntled ex-employees spilling the beans on these projects or would they still be under NDA even though they no longer work for F5?
maxmars said:So basically two developers who were to provide a few "traditional" games for the wii just went under?
Shiggy said:I still wonder why their Pilotwings GCN was cancelled. Even all the different European distributors were informed about that one (i.e. they knew it existed).
Pilotwings isn't Rogue Squadron + Factor 5 is unable to develop something that doesn't play like Rogue Squadron = Pilotwings GCN sucked.Shiggy said:I still wonder why their Pilotwings GCN was cancelled. Even all the different European distributors were informed about that one (i.e. they knew it existed).
With a little luck the Wii Airplane demo from E3 2006 is part of Wii Sports Resort and we've got our awesome EAD developed Pilotwings gameplay.wrowa said:Pilotwings isn't Rogue Squadron + Factor 5 is unable to develop something that doesn't play like Rogue Squadron = Pilotwings GCN sucked.
I don't think Nintendo or MS is willing to give them just a few tens of millions :lolcamineet said:All they need is a damn bailout. I'm sure a few tens of millions would keep them afloat.
Operations said:I don't think Nintendo or MS is willing to give them just a few tens of millions :lol
I see three possible reasons:camineet said:Why doesn't someone like Nintendo or Microsoft just swoop in and buy them up rather than let them go under completely?
December 22, 2008
Report: Factor 5 Officially Closed? New reports suggest that the entire staff at developer Factor 5 has been laid off, after 35 employees were made redundant last week.
Last week Gamasutra was able to confirm that nearly half of the San Rafael, California-based studio's workforce had been let go. The remaining 38 were forced to take pay cuts in order to allow them to remain at the company.
According to a report by IGNs Matt Casamassina, the entire studio may have been forced to close (subscription required). Reproducing part of an e-mail from an inside source at the company, the report suggests that the company has already closed.
"We just learned from inside sources that developer Factor 5 has officially closed their doors as of today," states the e-mail. "Thats some pretty big news considering that those guys have been around for quite a while. Its definitely a real shame!"
After the critical and commercial failure of Lair, and the reported loss of a three-game contract with Sony, Factor 5s business was also hit by the troubles surrounding publisher Brash Entertainment.
It is currently unclear what projects the Bay Area developer, best known for the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series, was or is working on.
camineet said:
C.T. said:Did you even read it? the source is still Matt. Mr. trustworthy...
C.T. said:Did you even read it? the source is still Matt. Mr. trustworthy...
Hero of Legend said:It's also funny, that BOTH Shin'en and Factor 5 specialize in flight games.
gabe90 said:He does have a good relationship with F5 and always has. Even when they went multi, he was the point of contact. The Matt hate here is sad...not as sad as what's happening to F5, but still sad.
C.T. said:My point wasn't that Matt is the source, but that these "news" are non-news, because they just quoting Matt's message board post from two days ago without giving us new information. It doesn't really help to clearify of what's going on at Factor 5. Additionally we should question the source as well, because we don't know anything about the guy sending Matt an e-mail.
C.T. said:My point wasn't that Matt is the source, but that these "news" are non-news, because they just quoting Matt's message board post from two days ago without giving us new information. It doesn't really help to clearify of what's going on at Factor 5. Additionally we should question the source as well, because we don't know anything about the guy sending Matt an e-mail.
I agree that it's silly to post blogs quoting Matt and providing new information, but this is definitely 100% true. Don't you think someone from F5, least of all Julian, would have sent a simple "This is not true. An announcement will be made shortly." message? The fact that he hasn't confirms that the announcement is true.
jrricky said:depends on what doing 'good' is the context of knowing how much money went into those games too. Oh and heavenly sword wasnt good either.
a sad thing when a company goes out though, but betting on the wrong horse was a factor in them surviving or not.
No one makes a crappy PS3 game and lives. Sony ninjas are not forgiving.Trevor360 said:so the two studios that made crappy games exclusive for PS3 are dieing.
gabe90 said:He does have a good relationship with F5 and always has. Even when they went multi, he was the point of contact. The Matt hate here is sad...not as sad as what's happening to F5, but still sad.
Yes, he is.KR3W said:but Matt Casssamasssamasssamia is not trustworthy at all.