Independent developer BottleRocket Entertainment has closed its doors, company founder Jay Beard confirmed today. The studio was most recently working on a Splatterhouse reboot for Namco Bandai, at which point the trouble began.
Development on the action horror title was reportedly not up to Namco's standards, leaving them no choice but to pull the plug and abruptly switch to an internal team. Officially, Namco blamed the switch based on "performance issues." BottleRocket took a financial hit as a result. While the loss of Splatterhouse may not the sole factor of their demise, it certainly was a significant one.
The full parting statement from Beard can be found past the break.[blockquote2]It is with deep regret that I have to inform you of the closure of BottleRocket. After fighting to keep the doors open for the past six months we have decided to close and move on.
BottleRocket was in business for seven years and I feel that we developed a sound reputation for quality and creativity. I was once told that we 'zigged while others zagged,' and I like to think that we shall be remembered this way.
We had the opportunity to meet and work with many talented and passionate individuals along the way, and I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for everything that you did for BottleRocket. Seven years wasn't long enough for our plans to bear fruit; but it was a decent run.
I am now in the process of building a new development studio from the ground up and look forward to us crossing paths once more.[/blockquote2]
Bottlerocket closes its doors [GI.biz]