The studio behind Humble Games' latest game, Bõ: Path of the Teal Lotus, says it "lost access to the pipeline of critical systems without warning" when Humble Games "made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure operations" two weeks ago.

Humble Games is owned by Ziff Davis, which also owns GamesIndustry.biz parent Gamer Network.

In a statement posted to X/Twitter, Squid Shock admitted it had been "a hectic two weeks since [it had] launched [its] first game Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus", and announced it had turned to Patreon to help finance the game after "exploring every possible option to deliver the future content we had planned."

Read more

Humble Games' last release before the studio was "restructured" last week, Bõ: Path of the Teal Lotus, has launched a Patreon to support the game "in these uncertain times".

Writing on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, developer Squid Shock said that whilst it did not fault the team's work, Humble's changes "have meant we have missed out on critical post-launch support, which may put our studio's future at risk".

Although Humble has disputed the statements of former staff that characterised the layoffs as a shutdown, instead insisting laying off its staff is merely a "restructuring", Squid Shock also describes the changes as "shutting down".

Read more

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus - the gorgeous 2.5D platformer with Metroidvania elements based on Japanese folklore - released earlier this month across PC and consoles. However, due to its partnership with Humble Games, developer Squid Shock says it has faced a number of unexpected stumbling blocks since release, notably with its console ports.

In a recent post shared on Steam, Squid Shock acknowledged the "unexpected changes" within Humble Games, after layoffs were confirmed at the indie publisher, and said it was still unsure what was happening next.

"This news caught us off guard, and we are still working to understand the full implications," the Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus team wrote on 25th July.

Read more

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus - the gorgeous 2.5D platformer with Metroidvania elements based on Japanese folklore - released earlier this month across PC and consoles. However, due to its partnership with Humble Games, developer Squid Shock says it has faced a number of unexpected stumbling blocks since release, notably with its console ports.

In a recent post shared on Steam, Squid Shock acknowledged the "unexpected changes" within Humble Games, after layoffs were confirmed at the indie publisher, and said it was still unsure what was happening next.

"This news caught us off guard, and we are still working to understand the full implications," the Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus team wrote on 25th July.

Read more

All 36 employees of Humble Games publishing have reportedly been laid off. According to business developer Nicola Kwan, staff were informed at 9am this morning, and told that “the company is shutting down.” Humble dispute this in a statement made to Game Developer, claiming that the publishing label is "undergoing restructuring," as opposed to a full shutdown.

Humble’s statement - which you can read in full here - attributes the events to “challenging economic times for indie game publishing,” saying that “Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations.”

Read more

All 36 employees of Humble Games publishing have reportedly been laid off. According to business developer Nicola Kwan, staff were informed at 9am this morning, and told that “the company is shutting down.” Humble dispute this in a statement made to Game Developer, claiming that the publishing label is "undergoing restructuring," as opposed to a full shutdown.

Humble’s statement - which you can read in full here - attributes the events to “challenging economic times for indie game publishing,” saying that “Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations.”

Read more

Bō: Path of The Teal Lotus, the upcoming Metroidvania inspired by Japanese folklore, now has a release date.

It's due to launch on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam) on 18th July and is available to wishlist now.

The game features a stunning hand-drawn art style inspired by traditional Japanese art - imagine Okami, but in 2D.

Read more