Surgent Studios, the company behind 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 activities at the company's game division while they seek alternative funding for their next project, which promises to be even more ambitious.
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 failed to achieve the expected financial success. The title was published under the EA Originals label and released in April 2024 for various platforms, including PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Official company statement
The company officially released the statement on its X social network profile. 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 has developed a prototype for a bold new 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 ,” the post says.
Surgent Studios' new project 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, while 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 seeking potential partners to 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 fanbase while exploring new publishing and funding opportunities.
Despite financial difficulties, Tales of Kenzera: Zau was widely praised by critics. Oliver Brandt, from the website GLHF, highlighted that the game breaks several conventions of the Metroidvania , offering a more narrative-focused experience at the expense of exploration, and granting most of the abilities to the player right from the start. Brandt also classified the title as "one of the best in recent years" within a genre saturated with releases.
However, despite the positive reviews, the game did not achieve the commercial success that Surgent Studios had hoped for. Now, the developer is racing against time to ensure that it can finalize and launch its new project, already in the prototype phase, with the necessary support.
Seeking partnerships and funding
The situation at Surgent Studios reflects the challenges faced by independent developers who often rely on external funding to keep their projects going. With the market becoming increasingly competitive, finding partners is paramount to their survival.
In July, Abubakar Salim revealed that the company had to lay off some employees due to the underperformance of its debut game. In a series of posts on X, Abubakar expressed pride in the work his team had done over the past four years. However, he highlighted the difficulties of the industry and admitted to having made the difficult decision to let go of "about a dozen" employees.
