It's been a tough period for many game companies and it seems it might have got the better of the new team Jar of Sparks.
This developer was formed by the ex-Microsoft, Xbox and Halo veteran Jerry Hook after he exited 343 Industries in 2022. Now, in an update on LinkedIn, he has announced the team will be "halting work" on its current title to search for a new publishing partner.
As part of this, Jar of Sparks is allowing its team to find new work. Here's a portion of what he had to say:
"Earlier today, we notified our team that Jar of Sparks will be halting work on our current title as we search for a new publishing partner who can help bring our creative vision to life. Throughout this journey, our passionate, driven, and innovative team took bold risks and pushed boundaries, striving to create something truly new and exciting for the industry. We couldn’t be prouder of the groundwork we’ve laid together.
"As we prepare for this next step, our talented team members will be exploring new opportunities. If you’re searching for exceptional professionals who are driven and think outside the box, please reach out. We’d be more than happy to connect you with some of the best developers I have had the pleasure of working beside."
The studio's first game was originally estimated to be three to four years away, with the overall goal to create a "new generation of narrative-driven action games in a new world".
Hook was previously the head of design on Halo Infinite at 343 Industries, and originally started out at Microsoft in 2003 - working on Xbox Live and eventually moving to Halo. He also did a stint at Bungie with the Destiny team before returning to Xbox in 2018 to work on Infinite.
Apart from Hook taking on the role of CEO at Jar of Sparks, some other founding members included Greg Stone (a former producer of DOOM), Paul Crocker (lead narrative designer on Batman: Arkham Trilogy) and Steve Dyck (SSX, NBA Street).
If we hear any significant developments, we'll let you know.
[source linkedin.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 4
There were a lot of new startup studios that popped up following the COVID boom on promises to "bring back AAA gaming" by doing it better than the penny pushing publishers, but reality is harsh, and the gaming industry is cutthroat. This at least sounds better than completely closing like a lot of these studios have.
Things like this are why, atleast in the AAA space, all we get are slop sequels.
Thakfully Steam is excellent at giving small developers a place to release their games while still getting visibility.
@InterceptorAlpha “ Thakfully Steam is excellent at giving small developers a place to release their games while still getting visibility.”
Are they really? I’ve heard quite the opposite considering how much slop is released on Steam daily. It really hard to get seen buy people who don’t fine tune what they want to see… The banner and advertising is something developers have to pay for, so that not exactly helping smaller developers.
@AverageGamer Yes they are. Indie games have a much larger presence on Steam than cobsoles put together. As a matter of fact, that's the direction most indie devs went once Microsoft, in their infinite wisdom killed XDA, dev, and others services they had. Then they folded indie games into general releases instead of having their own category.
You're as likely to see some no name indie game on the front page as you are AAA.
But if you're doing generic RPG maker crap, then yea, you're gonna have a hard time.
They don't even have to pay for advertising either if they release a substantial enough game as it will put put on the front page simply from being organically popular.
How many other platforms can you say do the same?
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