Kiloo, who co-developed world-famous mobile game Subway Surfers with developer Sybo, are set to shut their doors at the end of this month.
According to a recent LinkedIn post by Thomas Frøhlich, director of game design at the studio, the staff were served with a notice of termination set to take effect at the end of June. Frøhlich encourages those elsewhere in the industry to reach out to the now redundant Kiloo staff who will now be looking for new roles in the industry.
The closure was first reported by GameDeveloper who cited the aforementioned LinkedIn post. However, at this point no official announcement has been made by Kiloo’s management as to the state of the studio, although some other companies such as Sega Hardlight are already soliciting the now redundant members of Kiloo.
Abruptly departing
It’s safe to say that the closure – while still not officially confirmed – has taken industry watchers by surprise. The developers closing their doors is not unusual but that the co-developer of one of the most famous mobile games on the planet has done so, is certainly remarkable. That Kiloo were unable to trade on reputation and find success reflects on the difficult circumstances studios can find themselves in in the current climate where investment and buyouts are below their usual levels.
We await an official update from Kiloo, but it’s worth noting that it’s unusual to not see a statement sooner. When another studio, Nifty, recently shuttered CEO Jon Middleton was quick to give his own statement clarifying the closure of the studio.
While the exact nature of the Kiloo’s deal with Sybo, post their acquisition by Miniclip in 2022 is unknow, it’s safe to say that this parting of the ways has in some way contributed to today’s events.
