Update (7/23/24): Humble Games has provided an update to our current story, shedding some light as to what exactly is happening. Instead of closing down, the company is going through a restructuring, and it has been confirmed that Humble Games is not closing down and the projects that were previously announced, as well as upcoming ones, will not be affected. Which is a relief, but the outcome is still one not to be taken lightly.
In these challenging economic times for indie game publishing, Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations. This decision was not made lightly; it involved much deliberation and careful thought, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will have no impact on operations at Humble Bundle.
We are acutely aware of the profound impact this decision has on our team members at Humble Games and deeply empathize with everyone affected. Our team’s contributions have been world-class and invaluable, supporting the launch of our games since we started publishing in 2017. We are committed to navigating this transition with as much empathy and understanding as possible.
Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Thank you for your support and compassion during this challenging period. It is deeply appreciated.”
We’ll be keeping an eye on how this story develops and keep you updated.
Our original story is below.
Reports are coming in that Humble Games, a publisher who doing an amazing job with helping smaller developers get their games to the masses, has been shut down by Ziff Davis, the parent company of IGN. Most recently, Humble Games released Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Stray Gods: Orpheus – Humble Games, and #BLUD. This is also not to be confused with Humble Bundle, which is owned by IGN. Humble Games was the publishing division.
As reported, as of 9 AM on July 23, 2023, 36 members of Humble Games were informed they were being let go and the company would be shut down. While we’re still trying to get as much information about this as we can, several former employees of Humble Games have taken to Twitter and Linkedin, citing what happened to Humble Games.
Senior QA Emilee Kieffer has posted the following on Twitter regarding the closure.
Well friends, me and the entirety of Humble Games was laid off this morning
If you need senior/lead QA at your game studio HI HELLO I DON'T HAVE A JOB ANYMOOOORE! pic.twitter.com/giAPAiTDsx
— 🎃Emil-EEK!🎃 (@Emilee3D) July 23, 2024
Reinforcing the closure, Business Development Manager Nicola Kwan posted this on her Linkedin page.
At 9AM this morning, 36 employees of Humble Games were told that we were being let go and that the company is shutting down.
Working at Humble Games was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. Not only did I get to work with the most amazing team, I got to work with passionate developers and help create games that I genuinely believe will impact the industry as a whole. It’s been a privilege to have been the person that represented our titles to 1Ps and other strategic external partners, and I’m excited to see all the games launch in the future.
To my fellow ex-Humblers: Thank you for making this the best journey that I’ve had yet. I’m proud to call many of you not just former coworkers, but also friends (a testament to how incredible this team is considering we’re all remote and I haven’t met half of you IRL). I hope to cross paths again soon.
To all the HG developers: Thank you for trusting us with your life’s work. I can’t express how much of an honor it is that you chose to work with all of us at HG.
Anyway… there’s 36 of us looking for jobs now. As an introduction…
I’m Niki. I’ve been in Games Business Development for a majority of my career. My expertise is in strategic partnerships, deal negotiation, and game scouting. I’ve pulled together dozens of deals to bring games to 1P platforms (on both the publisher and the platform sides). I’ve created millions of dollars in revenue for my companies and our partners. Prior to guiding BizDev at Humble Games, I led indie content acquisition on the BizDev team at Amazon Luna. And now I’m looking for my next role.
This closure follows the layoff of an unknown number of employees of Humble Games back in November 2023.
This is yet another company that has felt the sting of the volatile gaming industry and it sucks to see people lose their job, more so now than ever. With this, more talented persons are being tossed way like so much garbage, while nothing happens to the management teams that handed down the closure.
Adding to that, Humble Games had announced several publishing deals for titles that were being released this year, and with the closure, these deals are now up in the air. These titles include Never Alone 2, Wizard Legend II, On Your Tail, Monaco II, Breeze in the Clouds, and Billie Bust-Up.
The Outerhaven has reached out to Ziff Davis regarding the closure of Humble Games for more information.
This story is developing…
