Crytek USA and former Vigil devs reform as Gunfire Games

Egad! Some hoodlum has shot up this logo!

Vigil Games are proving to be pleasingly difficult to kill off and appear to be reborn again as Gunfire Games. The studio initially went under as a result of THQ’s bankruptcy in 2012, but many former staff members were picked up as part of Crytek USA’s studio in Austin.

Crytek USA lasted barely eighteen months, due to parent company Crytek’s own serious financial problems. Vigil founder and former head of Crytek USA David Adams apparently saw the writing on the wall, quitting the company with most of the main studio team and forming Gunfire Games. “Forming another independent studio was something that I thought about because of what was going on,” Adams tells Polygon.

All the leads from Crytek USA are now at Gunfire Games, but the present staff only number seven people. According to studio director Matt Guzenda, they’re working on getting the next round of people hired.

“Having gone through this a second time, the first time we jumped on the first deal that sounded good, this time we feel a little more confident in our abilities,” Guzenda says.

With so many former Vigil Games staff involved, the question of Darksiders is inevitably raised. Nordic Games hold the IP after THQ’s bankruptcy fire sale, and Gunfire Games confirm that the two companies have spoken with one another.

“[Darksiders] is one of the options we are exploring,” says Adams.

The studio is also looking at smaller, short term deals to keep staff busy. Longer-term, they express the desire to work on something entirely original. For now, they’re probably just enjoying working for a company that gives a damn about paying wages on time.