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Popular indie developer Zachtronics will release what will be its final new game next month.
In an interview with Kotaku, the studio's founder Zach Barth said, "We're wrapping things up!" Before the studio closes its doors for good, it has two final projects in the works: a new game that's aptly named Last Call BBS, launching on July 5, and a collection of its various solitaire games, set to release before the end of the year.
"After that, the team will disband," says Barth. "We all have different ideas, interests, tolerances for risk, and so on, so we're still figuring out what we want to do next." Rather than a decision that's been forced upon it, this is something that the developer is doing on its own terms, which Barth says "feels pretty good".
Barth founded Zachtronics in 2000 and the studio built a reputation for itself with acclaimed puzzle games such as TIS-100 and SpaceChem. While most of Zachtronics' back catalogue consists of puzzlers, it's occasionally delved into other genres. 2013 saw the release of the strategy title Ironclad Tactics, and one of its more recent offerings is a visual novel called Eliza.
This isn't the first time Zachtronics has shut down. Back in 2015, the developer closed its doors when Barth went to work for Valve for ten months. "It gave us an opportunity to cash out some of our equity, re-engage with the rest of the games industry, and rebuild from scratch," says Barth. But he doesn't seem to think that history will repeat itself, adding, "I'm not saying the same thing is going to happen here because we really are shutting down Zachtronics."
As for the reason behind the closure, Barth explains that he and the team felt that it was time for a change. "While we got very good at making 'Zachtronics games' over the last twelve years, it was hard for us to make anything else." Following the news of the studio's closure, fans have been showing their appreciation for the developer's efforts. "Since we announced that Last Call BBS is going to be our last game, I've gotten countless emails from fans thanking us for the games we've made".
Farewell, Zachtronics. You will be missed.
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