NetEase subsidiary Bad Brain Game Studios will close on November 17, 2025.
The Canadian studio confirmed the news in a post on LinkedIn. and explained that he tried but was unable to find a new partner to keep the lights on.
Chinese conglomerate NetEase this year cut ties with a number of its Western studios, including T-Minus Zero Entertainment And Fantastic pixel castle.
In February NetEase is committed to supporting its overseas studios— but said some changes may be “necessary” — after Bloomberg reported this. the company laid off hundreds of employees across its network of studios. Despite these assurances, the company continues to reduce its network of internal studios.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Bad Brain Game Studios will be closing its doors. Our last official day of operation will be November 17th,” Bad Brain wrote on LinkedIn.
“Despite our ongoing efforts to find a new partner for the project, the path forward has not yet been realized. We are deeply grateful to NetEase Games for their support and for giving us the opportunity to explore all possible possibilities.”
I had a bad brain created in 2023 and was working on what she called an “ambitious new franchise” under former Ubisoft producer Sean Crooks.
The studio is still hopeful that its debut title will see the light of day, and reminded investors that its game and the underlying intellectual property are available for purchase.
“We [and] NetEase is open to discussions with publishers and studios who see potential in its continued development. We strongly believe in what has been created and would like to see this world find its way to players,” the LinkedIn post continues.
“To help our people take the next steps, we will also publicly release an excerpt from the project, giving everyone the opportunity to showcase their incredible work and open doors to new opportunities.”
The game developer has reached out to NetEase for comment.
