NetEase shuts down Bad Brain Game Studios, marking its second studio closure this week

Toronto-based Bad Brain Game Studios, a developer formed in 2023 by former Ubisoft and Watch Dogs: Legion developers, has announced its closure due to being unable to find a new publisher after NetEase pulled its funding.

The details:

• In a new post to LinkedIn, studio head Sean Crooks announced on Wednesday that Bad Brain Game Studios will be closing its doors on November 17th after NetEase pulled its funding. "We are deeply grateful to NetEase Games for their support and for giving us [a] runway to explore every possible opportunity," Crooks wrote. "Our team poured everything into this journey — pushing creative and technical boundaries every day with passion, imagination, and craft. What we achieved together stands as lasting proof of this team’s extraordinary talent."
• Despite news of the closure, Crooks confirmed that Bad Brain and NetEase are "open to discussions with publishers or studios who see potential in continuing its development," and that Midnight Riders and its "underlying IP" can be acquired by interested parties.
• This marks the second NetEase studio closure this week, with Fantastic Pixel Castle announcing that it would shut down on November 17th due to lack of funding after the Chinese publisher pulled its support. NetEase began backing out of the international gaming market earlier this year, resulting in several closures and layoffs, even impacting the North American development team behind popular hero shooter Marvel Rivals.