In the hope of securing additional funds, the studio has showcased several features that were planned for future updates, including a Burnout-style crash mode called Accident Blackspot.
Three Fields Entertainment is at risk of redundancies, less than two months after the independent studio’s latest game, Wreckreation, launched.
Since the game launched in October, the team has self-funded recent game updates and will “not see revenue from game sales for the foreseeable future,” according to the studio’s co-founder, Fiona Sperry, who called the decision “unbelievably painful.”
“Today I am having to share one of the hardest messages of my career. After twelve years of building and nurturing Three Fields Entertainment, I am forced into the situation of today placing our entire team on notice of redundancy,” Sperry posted on the game’s official social media accounts.
“Since the launch of Wreckreation, our small studio has worked incredibly hard — with heart and dedication — to update the game, listen to our community, and deliver the fixes and features players asked for. I could not be prouder of the people I’ve worked alongside or the passion they’ve poured into this project.”
“But the reality we now face is stark. As an independent studio, we will not see revenue from game sales for the foreseeable future.
We have had to self-fund most of this year and all of the post launch content. Without the enthusiasm or financial support from our publisher to continue development, we simply cannot sustain the studio in its current form. Making this decision has been unbelievably painful.”
Wreckreation’s planned crossplay multiplayer update will still be released before Christmas (update: the crossplay update was released today after this article was published), but will be self-funded, according to the announcement. Beyond that, future support for Wreckreation looks uncertain unless the studio can secure additional funds.
Burnout-style crash mode showcased in Accident Blackspot mode
A video accompanying the announcement showcased several planned features that were in development. Among these are Accident Blackspot, a new game mode inspired by Burnout’s fabled Crash mode.
The video shows how Live Mix items can be placed in the environment to increase the destruction, with players earning high scores for causing as much damage to traffic and the environment as possible.
Live Mix buildings, which were previously seen in the game’s announcement trailer, are also shown along with several new vehicles intended for a future update, including a forklift, crane, taxi, food trucks and even a flyable helicopter.
“We have so many things in the pipeline — multiple features, updates, and creative ideas that we were excited to bring to the game, many of which are showcased in the video we’re sharing today,” wrote Sperry. “These are things we genuinely believed would have continued to strengthen Wreckreation and grow its community.”
Without further financial support from its publisher, THQ Nordic, the studio hopes to secure additional funding from other sources to continue developing these features.
“My hope is that by showing this work publicly, someone out there might also see that potential and perhaps an opportunity could still emerge,” Sperry wrote.
“But even if that hope does not materialise, we want this to stand as a testament to our vision and to the strength, passion, and skill of our tiny team. I truly believe in the potential of this game and in the brilliance of the people who built it.”
Formed in 2014, Three Fields was founded by Criterion Games veterans Fiona Sperry and Alex Ward, who worked on the original Burnout games. Since then, the studio has released several destruction-focused games, including Dangerous Golf, two Danger Zone games and Dangerous Driving.
Its latest release, Wreckreation, is an open-world spiritual successor to Burnout Paradise that lets players create custom tracks and events in real time with other players online.