Puny Human, a developer formed in 2007 that made Dystopia and Blade Symphony and contributed to a number of high-profile games, is closing down for good. The company will lay off all remaining full-time staff by the end of the year and is taking steps to liquidate assets and sell off select IP. The company will make some of its products open-source. This is happening in part because of a contract dispute.
Puny Human employed 20 full-time staff. Losing the team and the company is “heartbreaking,” CEO and studio manager Mike Sanders said. “A client refused previously agreed-upon payments, which deprived us of the cash flow to fully pitch” an in-progress game. This led to “successive failures in our operating income,” Sanders said.
“I take full responsibility for not sufficiently preparing for this outcome,” the CEO explained.