Indie JRPG tribute Alzara Radiant Echoes has been all but canceled and the developer that was making it, Studio Camelia, is shutting down.
The unexpected announcement was made this week on Twitter, reading, "We’re deeply saddened to announce the closure of Studio Camelia. More details can be found in the update shared with our backers. Thank you for your continued support from the very beginning. Take care."
A much more detailed explanation was shared to Alzara's Kickstarter campaign, which had managed to rack up nearly €300,000, the equivalent to about $330,000 USD, in funding before the game was canceled.
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"The video game industry is currently going through a crisis," reads the update. "Many studios have been forced to close due to lack of funding, and over 20,000 workers have lost their jobs. Investors are now operating in a market where taking risks is discouraged, and they can afford to wait before committing to a project in order to reduce risk."
Studio Camelia was founded in 2022 and initially sought and received support from various investors before turning to Kickstarter in 2024, where it became one of the platform's most-backed projects. That money was used to make a new demo for the game, which was toured around events like Tokyo Game Show and the DICE awards, but unfortunately the studio wasn't able to secure a buyer.
"This is part of the harsh reality of the industry. We are creatives, but we need funding to keep creating," it says. "Sometimes, even having a promising game concept with proven market interest and a strong team is not enough. Many say that every released game is a miracle, and that couldn’t be more true."
The studio says it began the liquidation process on April 28, and right now Alzara is on an "indefinite pause," with there being a "slim chance" that another company comes around and picks up the project. And even if that were to happen, Studio Camelia says "the game would inevitably take a different direction than what was presented during the campaign, but hopefully for the better!"
Alzara was billed as "a vibrant tribute to JRPG classics" like Final Fantasy 10 and Golden Sun, with a turn-based combat system and colorful Mediterranean setting that I'm truly bummed I probably won't ever get to explore hands-on.
I'm a little dumbfounded that such a historically successful Kickstarter campaign still can't guarantee a game ever sees the light of day, and I sympathize for the 5,000 backers who Studio Camelia made clear won't ever get their money back.
Cheer yourself up with a pick from our list of the best JRPGs ever made.
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