Hand of Fate was a popular deck-building action game that was making headlines in 2015. The studio that created it is closing their doors and ending devlopment of new titles. They say that their approach to making games is not as adaptable or fast enough to keep up with the ever-changing industry.
The company has brought many great titles to the world and has a large fan base behind them who are saddened by the news. Although it is not a fault of the staff, but rather the business model they are built upon, the company is closing their doors effective immediately.
https://twitter.com/defiantdev/status/1153868904067813376
In a world of big company games from EA and Bethesda, it is sad to see small devlopment companies like Defiant Developments go under. The studio began in 2010 with the hope of being an Australian based development team without being dependant on international ownership.
“We set out without knowing where the journey will take us, and we do so knowing that the unknown is not always safe. That is a risky way to make games, and we knew that,” writes studio founder Morgan Jaffit in his statement on Twitter. The studio was born during a time when most console-developing studios were owned or funded by companies outside of their country.
Their main title, Hand of Fate, was launched for PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One and was one of the first Australian-made games launched after a Kickstarter campaign. The game was later followed by Hand of Fate 2 which was added to the same platforms in 2017 and the Nintendo Switch in 2018.
The game market continues to evolve and change, and although the company has been both big and small in their time, they could not change quickly enough. The only title in devlopment was a game called A World in My Attic, and Jaffitt released a video link to the games incomplete trailer at the end of his announcement.
Although the company is closing down, fans will forever treasure the memories and adventures found within their worlds. The devlopment team is master craftsmen at game creation and design with bright futures ahead in their new jobs. The community is being supportive and reaching out to help network the team with new companies and employers.
It has been a long nine years for Defiant Development, and many are sad to see them go. Most small companies like them disappear in the night without being noticed, but many in the gaming community are already feeling the loss of this amazing devlopment team.
