V1 Interactive, the team behind multiplayer shooter Disintegration, announced today that it will be officially closing its doors. In a Twitter post revealing the news, V1 thanks all current and past team members for their help building the studio, as well as the passionate community that formed around Disintegration following its release.
The studio was originally created back in 2014, with Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto and SOCOM developer Mike Gutmann at the helm. The pair quickly partnered with publisher Private Division, getting to work on its first project. Last year, the ambitious sci-fi shooter Disintegration finally hit shelves, but brought in mixed reviews from critics.
Unfortunately, Disintegration struggled to find a large playerbase, leading to V1 Interactive shutting down the title's multiplayer component in September 2020. The game remains playable thanks to a single-player campaign included with the original release, which sees players become embroiled in a war between two robot factions. Speaking about the closure of the studio on Twitter, Lehto said that V1 Interactive's priority has been its employees, stating: "We’ve been transparent with them about the state of things for months and are making this decision now so they still have ample time to search for new jobs."
For those who didn't play Disintegration, the game offered a mix of tactical real-time strategy and first-person shooting, with players floating above the battlefield on a "Gravcycle." They're able to issue commands to a four-person squad, with the player having to battle against opponents while ensuring their ground team is pushing forward. The novel concept was translated into its single-player campaign and a multiplayer mode that supported up to ten players. During online games, players were able to choose from nine crews, with each boasting individual skills, abilities, and loadouts.
V1 Interactive joins several studios that have shut down in recent months, including two of Google Stadia's first-party teams in Los Angeles and Montreal. The closure affected 150 employees, although Google was quick to promise that those in the line of fire would be put into new positions at the company. According to a report from Kotaku, the developers were shocked at the layoffs, claiming they found out just before news on the decision went live.
PlayStation mainstay Japan Studio has also recently seen some significant changes, with the company reorganizing the developer to center around Team ASOBI and the Astro IP. Going forward, it seems the team will be focused on expanding the franchise, which has gained significant popularity due to the release of Astro's Playroom on the PlayStation 5.
Disintegration is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Kotaku