Galvanic Games Closes Its Doors After Struggles with Sales
Galvanic Games, the developers behind the popular sandbox survival game Wizard With A Gun, have made the difficult decision to shut down. Despite a promising start, ongoing sales of the game were not sufficient to sustain the studio. Founder Patrick Morgan expressed their disappointment in an announcement shared on X.
Morgan revealed, “The last year has been particularly tough for games. While we had numerous encouraging conversations at DICE and GDC, the process of signing new projects, even in a good year, takes longer than the runway we had left.” The studio had hoped to find funding for a new project but ran out of time, leading to their closure.
Wizard With A Gun, published by Devolver Digital, garnered positive attention upon its release in October last year. The game offered the opportunity to play with 1-4 players and featured combat-focused gameplay. It also drew comparisons to the popular survival game Don’t Starve due to its camera perspective, art style, and collect-and-craft mechanics.
Unfortunately, Wizard With A Gun faced stiff competition in the gaming market. While it received a couple of thousand positive Steam reviews, another game published by Devolver Digital, Cult Of The Lamb, released the previous year, boasted over 67,000 reviews. The fickle nature of the gaming audience played a significant role in Galvanic Games’ struggle to maintain strong sales.
Prior to Wizard With A Gun, Galvanic Games had released two other games, including the futuristic point-and-click title Some Distant Memory. This game resonated with players during the lockdown period in March 2020.
As Galvanic Games closes its doors, members of the development team will now have to seek new opportunities elsewhere. The studio’s closure serves as a reminder of the challenging landscape faced by indie game developers. While Wizard With A Gun may not have achieved the commercial success the studio had hoped for, it remains a testament to their talent and dedication.
Facts:
1. Galvanic Games is a indie game development studio.
2. Galvanic Games developed the sandbox survival game Wizard With A Gun.
3. Sales of Wizard With A Gun were not sufficient to sustain the studio, leading to its closure.
4. Galvanic Games had hoped to find funding for a new project but ran out of time.
5. Wizard With A Gun was published by Devolver Digital.
6. Wizard With A Gun received positive attention upon its release in October last year.
7. Wizard With A Gun allowed for 1-4 players and featured combat-focused gameplay.
8. Wizard With A Gun drew comparisons to the game Don’t Starve due to its camera perspective, art style, and collect-and-craft mechanics.
9. Galvanic Games had previously released two other games, including Some Distant Memory.
10. Some Distant Memory resonated with players during the lockdown period in March 2020.
11. Galvanic Games’ closure means that members of the development team will need to find new opportunities elsewhere.
Key questions and answers:
1. What led to Galvanic Games’ decision to close its doors?
– Insufficient sales of Wizard With A Gun and the inability to secure funding for new projects.
2. How did Wizard With A Gun fare in the gaming market?
– While receiving positive reviews, it faced stiff competition, and another game published by Devolver Digital, Cult Of The Lamb, had significantly more reviews.
Key challenges and controversies:
1. Maintaining strong sales in a competitive gaming market.
2. The fickle nature of the gaming audience, making it difficult for indie developers to achieve commercial success.
Advantages:
1. Positive attention and reviews upon the release of Wizard With A Gun.
2. A talented and dedicated development team at Galvanic Games.
Disadvantages:
1. Insufficient sales to sustain the studio.
2. Difficulty securing funding for new projects.
