Carbine Studios is closing, WildStar to shut down soon

Carbine Studios, the developer of the cartoon sci-fi MMORPG Wildstar is going to close its doors. Kotaku learned the sad news and how the closure will involve fifty people losing their jobs and Wildstar shutting down as well.

The Carbine staff were informed of the sad news during a meeting today, but this wasn't unexpected. Apparently, at least two of Carbine's game projects failed to convince the studio's parent company, NCSoft. This makes Wildstar the only game that Carbine ever released, something that happened in June 2014. For a studio that was founded in 2005, this is far from a stellar track record, and trouble was already looming on the horizon for a few years.

“Today, we are closing Carbine Studios and will begin the process of winding WildStar down to ultimately shutter the game,” NCSoft said in a statement. “WildStar players who have spent money within the game will be refunded purchases from July 1, 2018 until the payment system is shut off. We are also in the process of identifying the teams that will be doing the work to bring WildStar to a close. These decisions are very difficult to make and we are in the midst of shifting as many of our teammates as possible into other roles within the organization.”

We wish the best to everyone involved, and it's a shame that we didn't get to see a second game from such talented staff, including several members that worked on World of Warcraft.