[schnevets]

Without knowing what your startup did, non-"As a Service" game studios are an interesting animal in the world of software development because their products have a clear Release Date. To me, this sounds like the developers didn't want to do more cerebral, optimization puzzle boxes, so they decided to close up.

Like someone else mentioned, it's more like a band breaking up because artists no longer want to follow the framework and expectations that they have progressed into.

[madrox]

I absolutely agree, and I think even bands can feel the pressure to keep going if they think people count on it as a livelihood. Making a collective decision to move on is brave no matter the context.

[eru]

Yes, they have a clear release date. But eg Klei keeps sending out updates and bug fixes and improvements for Oxygen Not Included, and they are well received by the community.

But, of course, if Klei was stopping updates to Oxygen Not Included tomorrow, you could still play the game exactly as it is now, and people could also still make mods.