Factor 5 closes a studio

Factor 5’s troubles have been well documented over the past few months, with rumblings of the company being shut down, employees being laid off, and more. The company apparently has been dealing with quite a few issues and have announced that their San Rafael studio has been shut down (via their website). Achim Moller, CEO Factor 5 GmbH, notes that “the obstacles created by the sudden bankrupcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate.”

“We are sorry to announce the closure of the San Rafael-based Factor 5, Inc. studio, but the obstacles created by the sudden bankrupcy of Brash Entertainment for the continuation of operations have turned out too great to overcome in the current economic climate.

Factor 5 GmbH, which has been creating games since 1988 with its headquarter in Cologne, Germany, is entirely unrelated to Factor 5, Inc. and the circumstances surrounding Factor 5 Inc.’s recent challenges. Altough we are saddened by Factor 5 Inc.’s situation, our corporation will remain unaffected by these developments and has partnered with both old and nwe friends in the industry who will reveal our upcoming projects over the next months.

We would like to thank everybody on the publishing and development side who have supported us throughout the last 20 years and continue to do so. The current transition of the games industry is challenging, but as with transitions prior there is more opportunity than ever for independent development out there.”

This is very unfortunate news and it will be interesting to see how the company’s projects are affected. Factor 5 has been rumored to be working on the revivals of both Kid Icarus and Pilotwings.