Orthrus Studios
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Orthrus was a Scottish video-game studio that developed Distant Kingdoms.
02 / Orthrus Studios FAILURE REASONS
Failure reasons
The studio's fantasy city-builder Distant Kingdoms launched into Steam early access in May 2021 and received mixed reviews; it did not generate enough to sustain the team. Founder Oliver Smith announced the shutdown in August 2021, laying off the entire 10-person team: 'We worked our hardest on Distant Kingdoms, but sometimes the work and a good product just aren't enough.'
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Operations ended
Orthrus Studios ended operations.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
Distant Kingdoms launched in Steam early access in May 2021 with mixed reviews.
- 02
In August 2021 founder Oliver Smith announced on LinkedIn that the entire 10-person team, himself included, was made redundant and the studio shut down.
- 03
No financial figures, asset sale, or wind-down details were disclosed.