A studio led by former Mass Effect director Casey Hudson closed before the sci-fi narrative adventure they were working on could be shown. Humanoid Origin posted the announcement of the studio’s closure on LinkedIn yesterday, stating that a “lack of funding” was responsible for the decision. According to the studio’s website, they had developed a “multiplatform AAA game focused on a character-driven narrative in an entirely new science fiction universe.”

“Today we informed our employees that Humanoid Origin is closing,” the post reads. “Despite efforts to protect the studio from major industry challenges, we were unable to sustain operations due to an unexpected lack of funding.

“It breaks our hearts that we cannot complete our new science fiction universe. However, our greatest concern at this time is our team and we are committed to supporting them as they transition into new employment.”

All they had shown of the game so far were a few concept art pieces, which you can still see in the background if you scroll down on the studio’s website. The game was created in Unreal Engine 5 and roles were dropped just six months ago.

Background: Casey Hudson founded his own studio in 2021 after leaving BioWare with his experienced colleague Mark Darrah. Those with a good memory (not me) will recall that this was the second time Hudson has left BioWare – he previously worked for the company from 2014 to 2017 before returning as general manager. We don’t yet know what he and others will do after Humanoid Origin closes.

This isn’t the first studio closure we’ve seen in recent months. Sony closed Firewalk Studios, makers of the ill-fated shooter Concord, in October. And Tequila Works, the developers of Rime, filed for bankruptcy earlier this month. Along with other layoffs, most recently at Thunderful Games and Reflector Entertainment, these closures mark the fall of a year that has proven to be even more rigorous for developers than 2023. A website that tracks job losses estimates there have been 14,000 layoffs so far this year. compared to a total of 10,500 last year, as our sister site Eurogamer highlights. It is likely that the actual number for both years is higher because some layoffs may go unreported and freelancers working on a contract basis may also not be counted.