Summary
- Developer Hidden Variable Studios has ceased all work on Skullgirls due to a dispute with publisher Autumn Games.
- Hidden Variable claims Autumn Games owes $1.25 million for services rendered and breach of contract.
- Autumn Games assures fans of continued Skullgirls support, takes over development, and will expand the game’s universe.
Hidden Variable Studios, the developer of the Skullgirls mobile spinoff, has ceased development on the game due to a dispute with publisher Autumn Games. The original Skullgirls was released in 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360 and was an instant hit. The 2D tag-team-based fighting game was inspired by Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, meaning players can choose to control a single character or a team of two to three. This makes for great variety in playstyles and team customization, allowing combatants to pull off a variety of combos.
An updated version of the game, called Skullgirls 2nd Encore, was released for PS4 and Japanese arcades in 2015, and in 2020, Hidden Variable Studios (HVS) launched the mobile spinoff, Skullgirls Mobile. In addition to providing continuing support for the Android/iOS game over the past five years, HVS has contributed to Skullgirls 2nd Encore by helping with ports to other platforms and ongoing content releases. The company has assisted with development of the IP’s webtoon as well.
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On March 5, Hidden Variable released a statement revealing that it had ceased work on all Skullgirls projects and had filed a lawsuit against publisher Autumn Games with the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to Games Industry.biz and the court documents it uncovered, the developer is suing the publisher for breach of contract, goods and services rendered, and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. In other words, HSV alleges that Autumn Games owes $1,227,308.98 after withholding payments due between November 1, 2024, and January 15, 2025, as well as anticipated unpaid payments through March 15. The developer had given the defendant until January 21 to settle the debt.
Publisher Autumn Games Owes $1.25 Million, Says Skullgirls Dev Hidden Variable
Upon Autumn Games’ failure to make the requested payments, Hidden Variable handed over the Skullgirls Mobile login information required to continue providing community support. In the announcement, the developer thanked said community and expressed pride in the work it had done on Skullgirls Mobile and 2nd Encore over the past 10 years.
Jason Donnell, CEO and co-founder of Autumn Games, released a statement on Twitter to reassure fans that support for Skullgirls will continue. The company, which is also a game developer, will be stepping in to continue work on the project and expand the universe’s stories and gameplay. In fact, the announcement revealed, Autumn Games took over development a few months ago and has actively been working on guilds for Skullgirls, which will launch this year.
For its part, some members of the Skullgirls community seem pleased with the departure of Hidden Variable, if comments on both Twitter posts and Reddit are any indication. Others have only expressed hope that content releases and updates for the games continue without interruption. As for Skullgirls’ original developer, Reverge Labs, several members of that team eventually left to form Future Club. The new indie company provides support to other development studios, including Hidden Variable and Autumn Games on Skullgirls 2nd Encore, but has not yet made a comment on the HSV vs AG lawsuit.
- Released
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July 7, 2015
- ESRB
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t
- Developer(s)
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Lab Zero Games