(Link to the original post: Twelveoclockstudios.com)
Today, it is three years ago to the month that 12 O’clock studios weighed anchor – an adventure of unprecedented magnitude for all of us who have been involved in it. Over the past 36 months we have experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows that one might expect to come with game development – or any entrepreneurial venture for that matter. To be frank – there’s been a whole lot of them (both highs and lows) we did not expect, as well. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that our greatest high came some four months ago, as we finally saw The Horror at MS Aurora sail out into the world on Desura, shortly followed by Just Adventure.
The road from concept to product to release has been one of many adventures and experiences, where lifelong friendships have been forged, and invaluable knowledge and experience gained – but all, of course, at a cost. Today, we’ve finally had to accept the fact that our three-years adventure has generated more costs, and thus a greater – and more urgent – debt for our beloved company than what our product can possibly hope to contend with – and thus, we have no other choice but to put a full stop at the end of the grand adventure that has been 12 O’clock Studios.
If releasing our first game was our greatest high, then this is still not by far our greatest low, however – though the ending was not what we hoped for, the journey is, and will always remain, what made it all worth it. We would like to extend our deepest and warmest thanks to everyone who’s helped and supported us along the way of this adventure, and to everyone who’s helped make The Horror at MS Aurora a reality – truly, you guys rock, and we would never have made it this far without you. Same goes for everyone who’s bought, played, watched, written about, reviewed, let’s played, up-voted, shared, re-tweeted, or even seeded one of the torrents – you guys were the whole reason we made the game in the first place, and we sincerely hope that you have, and will continue to, enjoy it.
As we, the company, go into this gentle night, we would like to offer these parting thoughts: as much as this is an end, it is also a new beginning (word to the wise is to look out for the words “Autumn House”, “Afterimage” and “What do robots dream of?” in the near future). Games is part of who we are – and it is safe to say that no matter where we all end up, we will always be working on making more of them – whether that is together or apart, only time will tell. To then finally say farewell, we have kindly borrowed the words of H.P. Lovecraft:
“That is not dead which can eternal lie,yet with stranger aeons, even death may die.”
- The Team
