Torus Games, a Melbourne-based studio with almost three decades of development history, is reportedly being “effectively shuttered.” Eight employees have been laid off, according to a report from journalist Jackson Ryan via X (formerly Twitter).
“Melbourne’s Torus Games has effectively shuttered after nearly 30 years. Eight employees have been laid off,” reads Ryan’s post. “Bill McIntosh, founder/owner, said that Torus had a number of projects in discussion over the past year — but no one keen to move forward in development.” McIntosh reportedly told Ryan that Torus would “continue as a business for the time being,” with the founder as the sole person taking care of things. Whether Torus Games plans on making an official statement in the wake of Ryan’s report isn’t clear just yet.
Torus Games has a decorated history. The official website notes 146 titles produced or contributed to over 28 years. It’s also worth noting that Ryan places the family-run studio’s founding in 1994, making it closer to 30 years old. Most recently, Torus worked on LEGO 2K Drive and World War Z. However, it only takes a brief glance at its extensive back catalogue to see the scope of its three-decade body of work. The games it made or contributed work to cover a range of well-known IPs from Ben 10, Spider-Man, and How To Train Your Dragon, to name a few.
It’s a sad day whenever a studio closes up shop or lays off staff, and unfortunately that currently seems to be happening every day. The games industry is struggling globally, and it seems that those woes are being felt in our own backyard as well. Other local studios like League of Geeks have in recent months had to make the tough choice to make staff redundant and halt projects.
Torus Games is something of a legacy studio given its longevity, and while McIntosh reportedly seems set on keeping the lights on for now as a business, it’s another notch in the post for studios that have fallen to economic pressures or a lack of investment.
Image: Torus Games
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