Paradox Interactive and Harebrained Schemes have announced that the two companies will be parting ways. This comes after Paradox expressed disappointment with the performance of The Lamplighters League. Paradox had acquired the company in 2018.
This is all kind of shocking to me, simply because it doesnāt seem like that long ago that Harebrained Schemes was acquired. However, following the launch of The Lamplighters League, Paradox said that theyād be taking a write-down on the production, as they donāt expect to recoup the development costs. Destructoidās own Steven āBig Lifterā Mills has a pretty great write-up of that here.
Charlotta Nilsson, CCO of Paradox said, āWe and HBSā leadership have been discussing what would happen after the release of The Lamplighters League, but a new project or sequel in the same genre was not in line with our portfolio plans. Hence, we believe that a separation would be the best way forward.ā
Meanwhile, Harebrained Schemes expects to continue supporting The Lamplighters League through the end of the year and will be seeking partnerships and funding beyond that.
A different strategy
Harebrained Schemes was founded in 2011 by Shadowrun creator Jordan Weissman along with Mechassault producer Mitch Gitelman. The company seemed to be set on revisiting FASAās old properties, being known for the Shadowrun Returns trilogy and Battletech. However, following the acquisition in 2018, Weissman left the company.
The Lamplighters League is a new property from the developer, but following lukewarm reviews, it has not performed to expectations. Personally, Iām puzzled by it. I have always kept one eye on Harebrained Schemes (mostly with hopes of another Shadowrun title), but I had no idea that The Lamplighters League was even launching. While many of the gameās features have been called over-ambitious, much of the communityās complaints seem to be about technical issues and day-one DLC. Those sound like publisher problems.
Nonetheless, Iām hoping this isnāt the last we see of Harebrained Schemes. This outcome is at least better than the company being shuttered outright.
Published: Oct 17, 2023 12:37 pm