Update (September 27th, 9:19AM): Merge Games' parent company Maximum Entertainment has deleted Merge's original shutdown announcement, replacing it with one of Maximum's own in which the company claims Merge is "now integrated within Maximum Entertainment".
That claim is disputed by at least one Merge employee, however, who claims that although Maximum says Merge is "fully integrated", he "just handed [his] office keys in".
Another Merge employee says it was "our last day at Merge yesterday", seemingly referring to the company's entire staff, all of whose names are written on a farewell sign on a whiteboard. It doesn't look like Merge is still operational as any kind of meaningful entity at this stage.
Original story follows below.
Original story: Smalland: Survive the Wilds and Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX publisher Merge Games has announced it's shutting down, putting an end to a 15-year journey in the games industry.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Merge announces that it's closing down, although it doesn't disclose a reason in the post. However, in all likelihood, the closure of Merge is related to the unification of all of parent company Maximum Entertainment's divisions earlier this year.
In its post, Merge says its team started "from a tiny, cramped attic" and grew to "a tight, multi-disciplined 22-person team", bringing "hundreds of indie gems to storefronts around the world". Rather poignantly, Merge says its team "loved every moment of it".
Merge continues by thanking its fans for their support and asks that if you see a former Merge employee or interact with them, "just know that they're an incredible person who worked their hardest".
With regards to Merge's upcoming releases, which include narrative adventure Spirit of the North 2 and cozy farming RPG Pixelshire, the studio says its slate will "be managed by [its] parent company, Maximum Entertainment".
It's not clear whether all of Merge's employees will be laid off or whether they'll be absorbed into Maximum Entertainment, although the wording of Merge's post suggests that its staff might be out of a job now.
Merge is just one of a number of studios that have been shut down or significantly downsized in the industry in recent months. Others include Risk of Rain 2's Hopoo Games, Doom 3 VR developer Archiact, and (allegedly) Gothic and Risen developer Piranha Bytes, among others.
Of course, it's possible that Merge's shutdown has been on the cards since February's Maximum consolidation, and it's fair to say that the above studios don't all have the same reasons for shutting down. Still, today, we mourn the loss of a fascinating little publishing house. Stay tuned for more.
