What the business is
Independent Seattle video game developer behind Some Distant Memory, Rapture Rejects and Wizard With a Gun.
The bet
That an indie studio could sustain itself on its biggest game, made with publisher Devolver Digital, and then sign follow-on projects.
How it started
Patrick Morgan founded Galvanic Games in 2015. It toured the indie circuit in 2019 with the story and exploration game Some Distant Memory and teamed with tinyBuild and the Cyanide & Happiness authors on the satirical battle royale Rapture Rejects, which is now defunct.
What happened
Wizard With a Gun, made with indie publisher Devolver Digital, was its highest-profile game, with a booth at the previous year's Penny Arcade Expo that was one of the largest at the show. It launched in fall 2023.
How it ended up
On Friday 14 June 2024 Morgan announced the studio was closing; about ten employees were expected to lose their jobs.
What has to be true
Morgan said Wizard With a Gun sales were not strong enough to sustain the studio.
He said the process of signing new projects takes longer than the runway the studio had left.
GeekWire cited industry factors theorized for 10,000-plus job losses in 2024: AAA development costs, less VC investment, a delayed correction after the 2020-2021 boom and market saturation.
What can be applied
An indie studio's runway has to outlast the 'signing new projects' cycle; waiting to sign the next deal after launch is a bet that sales will keep the lights on.
Aftermath
As of 14 June 2024, Galvanic Games had ceased operations and about ten employees were losing their jobs; the studio posted a LinkedIn thread to help them find new roles. Wizard With a Gun, its latest game, was already on sale; GeekWire did not report the game's future support.
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