Puny Human Closes Its Doors After 16 Years Due to Unpaid Client Payments

Puny Human, a US-based game development studio, has initiated the process of shutting down after 16 years in operation. Currently, the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company is left with only two full-time employees, following the layoff of fourteen staff members during the summer and the voluntary departure of two more. The remaining employees are in the process of liquidating the company's assets and seeking potential buyers for Puny Human's intellectual properties, with plans to make unsold properties open source. The studio anticipates completing its shutdown by the end of 2023. According to CEO Mike Sanders, the primary reason for the company's collapse is the non-payment of fees by a client for co-development work. In a statement, Sanders expressed his regret and took responsibility for not being adequately prepared for this outcome. Puny Human was founded in 2007 as a continuation of the Team Dystopia modding group and initially focused on developing original IPs such as Dystopia, Blade Symphony, and Galacide. The studio later transitioned to co-development in 2016, contributing to titles like The Callisto Protocol, The Bard's Tale 4, Tribes of Midgard, and Trover Saves The Universe.