Disintegration developers V1 Interactive are closing down
Four months after multiplayer servers were shut down
FPS and RTS hybrid Disintegration had a short lifespan. It launched last summer and never gained the traction it needed. V1 Interactive took the multiplayer servers offline in November, leaving just the singleplayer campaign available. The studio itself, founded by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, is now shutting down too.
"We are sad to inform you that V1 Interactive is officially closing," they announced. "We want to thank all the talented people at V1, both past and present, who helped make the last 5 years wonderful. And a heartfelt thanks to the amazing community that supported us."
Back in January 2020, Imogen got to chat with Lehto about Disintegration prior to its launch several months later. "It's a big risk we're taking to build this game in and to try to fill this kind of niche that doesn't exist at the moment," he said. "So I'm real excited for people to start playing the game and see what it is on its own merits, and how unique it really is." Not unique enough, according to RPS's Disintegration review.
Regardless of the Disintegration's own merits, it is a shame to see the entire studio go out along with the game.
Studio president Marcus Lehto says over on Twitter that the wellbeing of V1's employees is the studio's priority. "We’ve been transparent with them about the state of things for months and are making this decision now so they still have ample time to search for new jobs while being supported by our studio."