Surgent Studios, responsible for the game Tales of Kenzera: Zau , announced this week that it has placed its entire team on layoff notice. The decision is a direct consequence of the pause in the activities of the company's gaming division, while they seek financing alternatives for their next project, which promises to be even more audacious.
Founded in 2019 by British actor Abubakar Salim, Surgent Studios gained notoriety with the release of Tales of Kenzera: Zau , which received generally positive reviews but did not achieve the expected financial success. The title was published under the EA Originals label and released in April 2024 for multiple platforms, including PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
Official company statement
The company officially released the statement on its profile on the social network X. According to the note, the focus now is on finding a partner to finance its next project, while some new updates for Tales of Kenzera will be released.
“Our team developed the prototype of a new and bold project. It's darker and more visceral than our first game, but still retains the combat and cultural depth of Zau. We are looking for a partner. Help us realize our vision” , says the publication.
New project from Surgent Studios promises to be darker and bolder
According to the company's statement, the new game in development will be “darker, bolder and more visceral” compared to the previous title, maintaining the same intensity in combat and cultural depth seen in Tales of Kenzera: Zau . The Surgent team has finalized the game's prototype and is already looking for potential partners who can finance the continuation of the project.
The developer also stated that before going on hiatus, it plans to release some updates for Tales of Kenzera: Zau . The goal is to maintain engagement with the fan base while exploring new publishing and funding opportunities.
Despite financial difficulties, Tales of Kenzera: Zau was widely praised by specialized critics. Oliver Brandt, from the GLHF website, highlighted that the game breaks several conventions of the metroidvania , offering an experience more focused on narrative, to the detriment of exploration, and granting most of the abilities to the player at the beginning. Brandt also classified the title as “one of the best in recent years” within a genre saturated with releases.
However, even with positive reviews, the game did not achieve the commercial performance that Surgent Studios expected. Now, the developer is racing against time to ensure that it finalizes and launches its new project, already in the prototype phase, with the necessary support.
Search for partnerships and financing
Surgent Studios' situation reflects the challenges faced by independent developers who often rely on external funding to keep their projects moving forward. With the market becoming increasingly competitive, the search for partners is a key issue for your survival.
In July, Abubakar Salim revealed that the company had to lay off some employees due to the lower-than-expected performance of its debut game. In a sequence of posts on X, Abubakar expressed pride in the work his team has accomplished over the past four years. However, he highlighted the industry's difficulties and admitted having made the difficult decision to lay off “around a dozen” employees.
