Queensland-based studio Defiant Development, makers of Hand of Fate and Hand of Fate 2, have announced that they will be ceasing development on future titles.

Founded 9 years ago, the studio had a major indie hit with the original Hand of Fate, which mixed roguelike dungeon crawling with card-based gameplay and action combat, telling its story through well-executed narration. The game became a minor indie hit, selling over half a million copies worldwide, and a sequel followed in 2017.

In a statement, the studio said “The games market has changed in ways both big and small in the 9 years we’ve been in business. We have not been able to change quickly enough to continue with them”.

Studio founder Morgan Jaffit added on Twitter:

I am exceptionally sad, but that’s not really germane. What is important is that some of the best game developers on the planet are now looking for new roles. Please get in touch if you’d like to help them land.

The studio also released a trailer for what would have been its next project had it been able to continue. The game is called A World In My Attic and looks like a hex-based board game with real-time combat, in keeping with the tabletop game theme of its previous titles.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBLLz3fxfc[/embedyt]