You may or may not know of Teddy Diefenbach; the man worked on the indie gem Hyper Light Drifter, and went on to join Square Enix’s Montreal studio two years ago. However, today, he confirmed that he is leaving the studio, and returning to work to independent game development.
The reason that he cites is the cancellation of the game that he was working on with his team. “My team were working on a game that I deeply wish we could have shared with you,” Diefenbach wrote on his personal website. “But the business strategy of the studio shifted, and our project was sadly no longer compatible.”
Presumably, the change in strategy here was a move toward a GaaS style game, which is something Square Enix has been transitioning its games and studios towards over the past year or so now.
It’s a shame that we never got to see what Diefenbach, who is so obviously talented, could have achieved with the backing and budget of a AAA studio; that said, given how great Hyper Light Drifter was, it’s clear that he needs neither of those for his talent to shine through either.