Housemarque is renowned for its arcade shooters, garnering tons of critical acclaim for Resogun at the PS4’s launch and once again with the recent Nex Machina. However, poor sales for its games overall has caused the company to work on something “totally different”. To that end, it will no longer be making arcade games.
In an official blog post titled “Arcade is dead”, Housemarque CEO Ilari Kuittinen talks about how the studio’s games have not been selling well despite strong critical acclaim and various awards. “Our games have received great critical reception over the years, perhaps the best example being Nex Machina. However despite critical success and numerous awards, our games just haven’t sold in significant numbers.
“While some of them have reached a massive audience due to free game offerings across various digital sales channels, this unfortunately doesn’t help pay for development, which gets costly for high production quality.
“Lackluster sales of Nex Machina have led us to the thinking that it is time to bring our longstanding commitment to the arcade genre to an end. While this genre will always hold a special place in our hearts, the industry is moving more toward multiplayer experiences with strong, robust communities, and it’s time for Housemarque to move forward with the industry.” Nex Machina and Matterfall will be the last arcade titles to come from the studio.
This doesn’t mean that the developer is in a crisis or anything (that we know of). It’s simply going to focus on creating other “enjoyable and memorable gaming experiences” while also developing a good work environment for its employees. Though its next project will be completely different, Housemarque thinks that it will help create “even more engaging gaming experiences.”
What could Housemarque’s next game be and when can we expect it? What are your thoughts on no more arcade titles from the storied developer? Let us know in the comments below.