Update January 21, 2025: Jerry Hook gave the following statement when asked for clarification as to the employment status of developers at Jar of Sparks: "Our staff is being laid off and are seeking new employment after NetEase decision to not continue with our first title"
Original story below:
Jar of Sparks, the studio founded by former Halo Infinite developer Jerry Hook, has stopped work on its upcoming game as it parts ways with publisher NetEase.
As reported by Pure Xbox, Hook made a LinkedIn post on the Jar of Sparks profile which explains that work on its in-development title is being put on hold as the company searches for "a new publishing partner who can help bring our creative vision to life," so it's no longer working with NetEase, the developer and publisher of Marvel Rivals and Naraka: Bladepoint.
Hook writes that "our talented team members will be exploring new opportunities." It's unclear if this means people have been laid off due to the issue or if they'll still be employed and are just being encouraged to look elsewhere. We've reached out to Jar of Sparks for clarification.
Jar of Sparks was founded in 2022 by Hook, who worked on Halo Infinite and with Bungie, Paul Crocker, lead narrative director for the Batman: Arkham trilogy, Greg Stone, a producer on Doom 2016, and Steve Dyck, who's worked on the Halo series, SSX, and NBA Street.
The studio's goal "is to create a new generation of narrative-driven action games in a new world," Hook said. "We have built games for some of the biggest companies in gaming, and now it's time to take a shot at putting our own personal lightning in a bottle. We want to create something new, innovative and that's a blast to play."
The partnership with NetEase sounded promising at first, with Hook saying when the studio was founded: "NetEase came to the table with a strong creative first approach; they demonstrated the same passion we have for our players and building new experiences that we believe players are looking for." We have requested a comment from NetEase.
Hopefully the studio manages to find a new publisher and all the developers land on their feet and can continue working on the game. Hook sounds proud of the work they've achieved so far, writing: "From the day we formed Jar of Sparks to this very moment, this team has accomplished remarkable feats – proving that a small, focused, and dedicated group can achieve great results. We thank each of them for their courage, skill, and friendship. Thank you to everyone who supported us throughout our journey here at Jar of Sparks, we look forward to updating you all with our next step in our journey."
2025 is already shaping up to be another rough year for developers as people were reportedly laid off from Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League studio Rocksteady recently.
