Hydrophobia Studio Is No More

Last month I wrote a story detailing the problems that Dark Energy Digital, the development studio behind Hydrophobia, was having making ends meet and was close to shutting down for good. Shortly after, Dark Energy Digital art manager Gary Switzer came forward to dismiss these as false rumors and we all went along with our day, deep in our hearts knowing that something was probably terribly wrong.

GamesIndustry International has now confirmed that the studio has officially shut down.  Dark Energy Digital owners Pete and Deborah Jones have, however, created Dark Energy Publishing in January, and could be taking ownership of the previous companies physical assets and IP.  If these assets can then be resold or repackaged, and the fate of the employees currently working for the company, is a mystery yet to be resolved.

Dark Energy Digital had problems after the poor showing of Hydrohpbia, and even found themselves in a but of a war-of-words with reviewers who were critical of the game upon release (4Player scored the game at 60/100). But Dark Energy Digital surely was a development studio who had a passion for their product. From talking to them at E3 and other conventions, their excitement for the product was palpable, and they always made time for whomever showed interest in their game. Here's hoping that they don't go away completely.