Spiders, the Paris studio best known for GreedFall and Steelrising, has confirmed it is being liquidated and will cease operations immediately, closing another long-running European RPG team during a brutal period for game development jobs.
The closure lands shortly after parent company Nacon entered insolvency proceedings, turning a difficult year for the French publisher into a direct studio shutdown. French game workers union STJV said the liquidation was ordered on April 29 and that 71 workers will lose their jobs, careers and income. The union also alleges Nacon's handling of Spiders helped push the studio to that point.
Spiders says it will no longer operate
In a statement transcribed by Wccftech, Spiders said it had received confirmation that the company was being liquidated after a long period without clear answers.
"This means the company as a whole no longer exists. We'll cease our functions immediately."
The studio also said planned DLC for GreedFall: The Dying World will still be released through Nacon, but that Spiders itself will no longer be able to answer player questions or provide support.
Spiders was founded in 2008 and built its name on mid-budget RPGs including GreedFall, The Technomancer and Steelrising. Its latest project, GreedFall: The Dying World, launched in March, only weeks before reports of the studio's closure began circulating.
STJV blames Nacon for the collapse
STJV's statement goes further than the studio's own public note, accusing Nacon and Spiders management of causing the liquidation through mismanagement. The union says Spiders had become dependent on Nacon, which it described as the studio's owner, president and sole client after the publisher acquired Spiders in 2019.
The union also claimed Spiders did not receive royalties on games made after GreedFall and said a new original project, Mist, will now never be released. STJV called on players to avoid giving money to Nacon, while saying it still hopes Spiders' games continue to be enjoyed.
Nacon's financial trouble had already raised questions about its studios. GamesIndustry.biz reported in February that Nacon filed for insolvency after majority shareholder Bigben Interactive was unable to make a €43 million loan repayment. Nacon said at the time that the process was meant to help it continue operating, renegotiate debt, protect employees and preserve jobs.
The timing has made the shutdown especially raw. Less than a day after Spiders confirmed its closure, Nacon announced that its delayed showcase would air on May 7, keeping the publisher's marketing calendar moving while one of its RPG studios disappears.