The Australian developer behind Hand of Fate, Ski Safari, and Hero’s Fall, Defiant Development, has recently announced that it will officially no longer be developing games. The studio was founded in 2010 and after nine years of being in the industry they are closing their doors. Even though they confirm this, they also promised fans that, while some of their staff have been let go, a small team will remain so that the company will be “in caretaker mode” to support its existing games instead of developing new ones.
Hand of Fate 2 which was released back in 2017 is one of the titles that will continue to be supported. The studio made a statement in regards to the big announcement “When we started this studio, we did so with a clear goal in mind. To hire great people, to create great games and to do that in an ethical manner with respect for our team and our audience.
“The Defiant model has always focused on creating games nobody else would. Games that reflected the skills and passions of our team. Games that did something new. Our process has always been focused on iteration and exploration. We go into dark places, searching for hidden treasures. We set out without knowing where the journey will take us, and we do so knowing that the unknown is not always safe.”
They commented that they knew that the way they went about developing games wasn’t exactly the safest model and could do just as much bad as it could good for the company stating that it was a “risky way” to develop games. The company also went on to to say how good a place Australia is for independent developers to make games despite Defiant are choosing to close down themselves.