Versus Evil, an American video game publisher founded by former ZeniMax Online Studios marketing director Steve Escalante, is now shutting down after 10 years of service. The news came to light through a post on the official X account of Versus Evil.
Since its establishment in 2013, Versus Evil has worked with numerous indie game developers, offering marketing, PR, influencer outreach, social media, community, QA, localization, and development services to reach other platforms. The company published games on all major mobile, PC, and next-gen consoles and worked with indie studios from North America, South America, and Europe.
Versus Evil has contributed to the success of critically acclaimed indie titles like The Banner Saga franchise, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, UnMetal, and First Class Trouble. The Banner Saga was the company’s first-ever undertaking, which was published in 2014 and received substantial praise, even being regarded as one of the top indie titles of 2014. In November 2021, Washington-based indie game publisher tinyBuild announced its acquisition of Versus Evil.
The timing of Versus Evil’s closure is truly disheartening, especially for its staff, as it is just days away from Christmas. The community that has supported the publisher grieves with the staff of Versus Evil and worried about the future of the company’s existing and upcoming titles. One of the latest projects in the pipeline is Lil’ Guardsman, a casual deduction adventure developed by Hilltop Studios for PCs and consoles. With the shut down, it is undetermined whether Hilltop Studios will seek another publisher for the game or carry this duty themselves.
The year 2023 certainly appears to be ending on a sad note for the gaming industry, marked by the closure of numerous indie game companies, with Versus Evil adding to the list. As the new year arrives, there is hope for a positive turn of events within the industry.
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