In 2010, two Dutch students—Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman—founded an independent video game studio. It would start with some fishing, go on to release games like Nuclear Throne and Luftrausers, and now in 2020 is shutting down like a rock band deciding yeah, you know what, enough is enough.
So broken is this industry that we're used to seeing developers and their studios go out one way and one way only: succumbing to the relentless pressures of life in the video game business by closing their doors, usually as a result of some kind of sales or development disaster.
It's fitting then that Vlambeer—a studio that has done as much as any other over the past decade to redefine what it means to be an independent developer and the kind of success one can achieve—bucks that trend by simply riding off into the sunset. Both co-founders have announced today that they're winding the company up on its tenth birthday, and going their separate ways.
There's no business failure, no stinking turd of a game and no upset community in their wake. Just two guys looking at themselves, their place in life in 2020 vs when they began, and a mutual decision that, yeah, it's probably time to call it a day.
Can't say I've ever heard of them, their company, or the games they made. So no big loss for me.
Nothing. They're just not making anything new, though they're still finishing Ultra Bugs.
Still coming.
the concept of that game was so crazy yet it worked SO well
You're welcome. I'm glad you see the benefit of using a forum to view others' valid opinions that are different from your own.
Can't say I've ever heard of them, their company, or the games they made. So no big loss for me. I'm glad though they're going out for a relatively good reason, as opposed to some of the other awful alternatives we've been seeing in this industry.
You're welcome. I'm glad you see the benefit of using a forum to view others' valid opinions that are different from your own.
You're welcome. I'm glad you see the benefit of using a forum to view others' valid opinions that are different from your own.
Oh I had no idea that this was them! I just played this a couple months ago. WowWhat?
Why?!?
Ridiculous Fishing was amazing and made me realize how underproduced most iPhone games were. I 100%ed it twice due to all the extra in-game unlockables. I also love Nuclear Throne, Gun Godz and I've been meaning to play my copy of Luftrausers.
I'm so sad about this, I really liked these guys.
it's not really an opinion, is it? to say you didn't know about them so it doesn't matter that they're closing down.You're welcome. I'm glad you see the benefit of using a forum to view others' valid opinions that are different from your own.
:(The Nuclear Throne PS Vita patch saga comes to an expected end.
As weird as it sounds, I kind of had the same thought.