Polish developer 11 bit studios have been at the top of the survival game class since it released This War of Mine exactly ten years ago, but CEO Przemysław Marszał explains that it has not always been smooth sailing.
During an interview with PAP Biznes, translated by Evgeny Obedkov of Game World Observer, Marszał shone a light on the trials and tribulations of being a major indie studio in an industry that is simultaneously booming and killing its members.
“The entire games industry is going through a severe crisis, according to Marszał. His own company, for example, had its shares reach a 7-year low despite a record year in profitability.
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11 bit had to cancel Project 8 earlier this month, wrote off $12 million spent on developing the game, and let go of 18 employees in the aftermath.
The company had also planned to release the clone survival game The Alters before the year’s end but made a call to postpone it to Q1 2025 to ensure a clean launch.
Besides game development, 11 bit has dabbled into publishing recently, an endeavor that Marszał says has not always bore fruit.
“Some of the projects from the publishing house are still unprofitable,” according to the CEO. The Thaumaturge and Creatures of Ava are among those, whereas Indika, Moonlighter, and The Invincible have recouped 11 bit’s investment.
It is not all doom and gloom though. Przemysław Marszał reiterated that 11 bit studios have “a good financial situation as a company, we have good cash flow, and we don’t need additional cash.”
Why Did Project 8 Fail?
According to Marszał, 11 bit studios held the Hellblade series as a reference, and the changing market for such games made it too risky to push out.
It was a very ambitious third-person game with extensive action elements, based on a strong but difficult theme.
-Przemysław Marszał, 11 bit studios CEO
Marszał explained that although the issues identified during the development could have been fixed, it would have taken additional quarters of dev time, by which time the market may not have been receptive to this kind of game.
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The commercial struggles of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, a game with beautiful visuals and a compelling story, reinforced the company’s opinion that Project 8 would be better off dead.
Project 8 may be gone, but 11 bit is already looking at the future. Przemysław Marszał revealed that the company is working on a small-budget project set to release in 2027, and a major title is expected to come out in around four years.
Meanwhile, the publishing arm is gearing up to release Moonlighter 2, following up on the company’s largest publishing success.
Last month, 11 bit studios released a charity DLC for This War of Mine, focused on a writer’s plight in the besieged city.
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