Only a few weeks after announcing the shutdown of Fantastic Pixel Castle, NetEase has now stopped funding another one of its game development teams.
Bad Brain Game Studios, a Canadian development team, is set to close its doors on November 17, 2025. The studio couldn’t secure a publisher for their new game, Midnight Riders, which led to this decision.
Sean Crooks, the head of the studio, recently shared on LinkedIn that their search for a new partner for the project was unsuccessful.
We’ve been working hard to find a new partner for the project, but haven’t had any success yet,” said Crooks. “We really appreciate NetEase Games’ support and the time they gave us to consider all our options. What we accomplished together shows just how talented this team is.”
The studio also included a 4-minute-long sizzle reel of Midnight Rider at the very end of the post.
Closure After Just 2 Years of Getting Founded
Bad Brain Game Studios was formed back in 2023 with a team of former Ubisoft Toronto developers.
Sean Crooks, previously a lead producer at Ubisoft Toronto, now leads the studio. He’s known for his work on games like Driver: San Francisco and the popular Watch Dogs series.
The rest of the team has also contributed to games like Splinter Cell, Just Dance, Far Cry 2, and the titles previously mentioned.
Crooks remains optimistic about finishing the project and is letting investors know that they are still open to partnerships or selling the game and its related assets.
Crooks stated that NetEase is willing to talk to publishers or developers interested in taking over the game’s future. They are proud of what they’ve built and hope players will eventually get to experience it.
This week marks the second studio closure for NetEase, with Bad Brain Game Studios joining Fantastic Pixel Castle in ceasing operations on the same date.
The studio was developing an online multiplayer game called Ghost, but they weren’t able to secure a new publisher for it.
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2025-11-06 20:36