Small indie developer Jukai Studio, known for the horror game Stray Souls, has shut down its doors. The closure comes on the heels of several challenges, including the closure of their publisher, Versus Evil. Both these studios faced closure after their game did awfully and received a lot of negative feedback.
In their announcement, Jukai acknowledged players’ high expectations for Stray Souls, explaining that only two core individuals, along with contracted personnel, worked on the project. Even with the work they put in, the game received a terribly negative reception and struggled commercially, prompting financial difficulties. Additionally, Jukai revealed they and their support network faced sustained cyberbullying throughout the development process.
Despite the hardships, Jukai thanked their community for their support and emphasized that studio staff were kept from being laid off, as they never operated as a large corporation. The team members opted to go their separate ways. Jukai also assured fans that, despite the closure, they are exploring legal avenues to address the cyberbullying and “will not abandon [Stray Souls]” entirely.
By most reviews, the game was really bad, so leaving the studio and starting over feels like the right decision, especially since their publisher also had to fold after the game’s release. Versus Evil, the publisher behind Stray Souls and other indie titles, also faced a turbulent end in December 2023. Parent company TinyBuild abruptly laid off the entire 13-person Versus Evil team just before the Christmas break.
Staff expressed their sadness and clarified that the decision was made by TinyBuild, not the Versus Evil team itself. This news added to the ongoing trend of layoffs and studio closures in the gaming industry despite a year marked by several critically acclaimed game releases.
This is a harsh reminder of the kind of thing that happens when you make games. If your whole studio is propped up in the hope of a massive success, you will likely not make it, especially if it’s a bad game. Based on the closure, we can assume that Stray Souls had a lot to do with the publisher closing as well.
We hope that everyone involved does well in the future, and if you’re being a jerk to any of these people, it’s time to stop. The developer and publisher closed—it’s over.
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