Former Mass Effect director cancels his next sci-fi game as his studio closes before it’s fully revealed

A studio led by former Mass Effect director Casey Hudson has shut down before it was able to show the sci-fi narrative adventure they were working on. Humanoid Origin published the announcement of the studio’s closure on LinkedIn yesterdayand said a “lack of funding” was responsible for the decision. They had made a “multi-platform AAA game focused on character-driven storytelling in a brand new science-fiction universe,” according to the studio’s website.

“Earlier today, we informed our staff that Humanoid Origin will be shutting down,” the post said. “Despite efforts to protect the studio from wider industry challenges, an unexpected lack of funding left us unable to sustain operations.

“We are devastated that we will not be able to complete our new science fiction universe. However, our greatest concern at this time is for our team and we are committed to supporting them in their transition to new employment .”

All they had shown of the game so far was a few pieces of concept art, which you can still see in the background if you scroll down the studio’s website. The game was made in Unreal Engine 5 and they were employment for roles as recently as six months ago.

By way of background, Casey Hudson set up his own studio in 2021 after leaving BioWare with veteran Mark Darrah. Those with a good memory (not me) will remember that this was the second time Hudson left BioWare – he previously had a stint away from the company from 2014-2017 before returning as general manager. What he and others will do now that Humanoid Origin is shutting down, we don’t know yet.

This isn’t the first studio closure we’ve seen in recent months. Sony shut down Firewalk Studios, creators of the ill-fated shooter Concord, in October. And Tequila Works, the developers of Rime, filed for insolvency earlier this month. Along with other layoffs, most recently at Thunderful Games and Reflector Entertainment, these closures mark the fall of a year that has proven to be even tougher on developers than 2023. A site that tracks job losses estimates that there have been 14,000 layoffs so far this year compared to a total of 10,500 last year when our sister site Eurogamer point out. The real figure for both years is likely to be higher, as some layoffs may go unreported and freelancers working on contract may also not be counted.