Hand of Fate 2 studio Defiant is 'ceasing development'

Defiant Development, the Brisbane-based studio responsible for the Hand of Fate series, has announced it will cease development of new titles. According to a statement on the studio's Facebook page, it will continue "in caretaker mode" in order to continue support for its existing titles.

"The games market has changed in ways both big and small in the nine years we've been in business," the studio's statement reads. "We have not been able to change quickly enough to continue with them."

Founded in 2010, the studio is best known for its Hand of Fate series, which blended deck-building and live action third-person combat. The 2017 sequel was especially well received, with our reviewer describing it as "a satisfying sequel and a meatier dungeon crawler [than its predecessor]". 

The studio's announcement makes note that its development team will be looking for new jobs.

"When we started this studio, we did so with a clear goal in mind," the statement reads. "To hire great people, to create great games and to do that in an ethical manner with respect for our team and our audience."

It continued: "The Defiant model has always focused on creating games nobody else would. Games that reflected the skills and passions of our team. Games that did something new. Our process has always been focused on iteration and exploration. We go into dark places, searching for hidden treasures. We set out without knowing where the journey will take us, and we do so knowing that the unknown is not always safe.

"That is a risky way to make games, and we knew that. When it succeeds it delivers things you could never have considered possible. When it fails, it leaves you without a safety net."

The statement was followed by a video showcasing the studio's in-progress game, which appears to be another spin on the "board game come to life" ethos. Frankly, it looks great: see it embedded below. We've reached out to the studio for further comment.