Reigns Developer Nerial Closes Down After 13 Years

Nerial, the acclaimed independent studio behind the wildly popular Reigns franchise, has officially announced its closure, bringing a remarkable 13-year journey to an end. The London-based development team shared a heartfelt statement on social media, confirming that they are entering “hibernation mode” following mutual discussions with their long-time publishing partners at Devolver Digital.

“It’s been an incredible adventure. We came into this with no expectations or ambitions and we will never forget the utter puzzlement of releasing Reigns in 2016 to so many players, the fascinating and slightly disturbed Card Shark fan art players are still sending us, the thrill of Reigns expanding with adaptations of Game of Thrones, Animal Farm, Three Kingdoms, and the latest, Reigns: The Witcher. Not forgetting our most ambitious project, The Crush House, which we remain immensely proud of.”

While management did not disclose explicit financial or operational reasons for shutting down, they noted that the team plans to take a well-deserved hiatus to reflect on their accomplishments before eventually returning to the industry with fresh perspectives.

Nerial initially captured the industry’s attention with the 2016 release of Reigns, an innovative, swipe-based strategy game that cast players as reigning monarchs balancing the delicate factions of their kingdom. The breakout success paved the way for several imaginative sequels, including Reigns: Her Majesty, high-profile licensed adaptations like Reigns: Game of Thrones and Reigns: The Witcher—which debuts this year as the studio’s swan song—as well as distinct standalone titles like Card Shark and The Crush House.

Tragically, Nerial’s discontinuation adds to an increasingly disheartening wave of studio closures throughout the gaming landscape. Earlier this year, Meta closed three prominent VR branches: Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru Games, and Armature Studio. Other notable industry casualties this year include Bluepoint Games, Ivy Road, Intrepid Studios, Spiders, Night School Studio, and Polyarc.

Source