Digital gaming retailer Games Republic will be shutting down on January 31, 2017.
The announcement was made back in December that Games Republic would be shutting down. The store itself immediately closed after the announcement, but the site remained open so that customers could access their purchased keys and download games if needed. On January 31, 2017 the site will close forever and current customers will no longer be able to access their accounts; if you have any unused keys or games you have yet to download, you'll have a bit less than three days to get it done.
Some customers may have pre-ordered Tower 57 or Beat Cop through the site. Games Republic has stated that they are currently working on an arrangement with 11 Bit Studios to fulfill any outstanding pre-orders through the site. Games Republic was the sales division of the Poland-based development studio 11bit Studios since 2014. 11 Bit Studios is best known for producing the Anomaly series of games, as well as This War of Mine - The Little Ones DLC.
While the digital distribution arm of the company is closing, operations seem to be continuing as normal at the developer with the two aforementioned games. Beat Cop is slated to be released in Spring of 2017 and has a store page up on Steam, and the company is ostensibly still working on Tower 57. We've reached out to 11 Bit Studios for comment on these matters.
The announcement of the closure came seemingly out of nowhere; the post right before the announcement was talking about the latest Euro Truck Simulator 2 DLC and all operations seemed normal at the time. Games Republic asks that any customers with questions shoot them an e-mail at support@gamesrepublic.com.
Disclosure: Games Republic previously partnered with TechRaptor by providing rewards for members. Additionally, TechRaptor participated in an affiliate-linking program with the site.
Update: We've heard back from 11 Bit Studios. They've confirmed to me that Games Republic is closing due to not meeting earnings expectations. They have also stated that the game development studio itself is in good financial shape and that they are continuing development of their titles as normal. Beat Cop and Tower 57 were showcased to attendees at PAX South recently, and they are also working on the upcoming game Frostpunk along with prototyping a new game.
Quick Take
I purchased a few games on sale from Games Republic myself. It's sad to see a digital retailer close like this. More competition in the digital market is always good and ultimately leads to better deals for consumers. I wish 11 Bit Studios the best of luck in their future endeavors.Did you ever buy anything from Games Republic? What did you think of the store? What is your current favorite digital retailer to buy games from? Let us know in the comments below!
