So in a rather sad news break earlier today, it has been announced that another indie game developer is closing down. This time it’s the Australian team behind Hand of Fate 1 and 2, Defiant Development.
“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 studio announced in a Tweet. “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.”
This was a “risky way” to develop games, Defiant admitted. “When it succeeds it delivers things you could never have considered possible. When it fails, it leaves you without a safety net,” the company continued in that statement.
Unfortunately, this all means that the company is closing down, and the development on their ongoing projects has been cancelled. Their big new project had the working title The World In My Attic, and was billed as an ARPG in a fantasy setting. We never got to see that game come to fruition, so it’s pretty sad to hear. Check out the teaser trailer Defiant released a while back.
You can read the full statement down below from Defiant. We wish the entire team the best. And if you happen to be looking for a game developer to hire whose willing to experiment, maybe check some of those fine folks out. While it’s sad to see them go, it’s wonderful that Defiant helped build the Australian industry to what it is in such a creative way. I mean come on, the mix of card-based strategy and an action-RPG was a great idea. It even got a Switch port, which was awesome.
According to the developer, the games aren’t going away fully. Hand of Fate 1 and 2 will be in “caretaker mode”, meaning that they will remain for sale but won’t get any new content or patches. Hand of Fate is available on GOG and Steam, as is Hand of Fate 2 as well (GOG, Steam). So if you want to pick those up as a farewell of sorts, they’re there for you.
