Thinking can be dangerous, perhaps even downright painful (well, not really). For Two Tribes, it has led to the unfortunate decision that RIVE will be their final game. Been quite a long journey though, going at it for more than 15 years, during which fan favourites like Swords & Soldiers and Toki Tori came to be. Alas, all things must come to an end.
Considering 2013’s restructuring of the studio, this doesn’t really surprise me as much as it saddens me. I mean, Toki Tori 2 (Toki Tori 2+ on Steam) may not have done as well as its creator had hoped, but the game was still pretty darn good. But that was then, this is now, and what really happened – according to the announcement post – is basically that… Two Tribes isn’t able to keep up with the industry anymore.
Given the pace at which everything from engine availability to social media, YouTube and other new forms of ‘spreading the word’ moves today, I suspect the near future will hold more than a few similar cases. A crying shame, but that’s just the way it is – gotta keep up or you’ll end up falling behind.
Don’t get us wrong: we absolutely love making games, and we strongly feel that we’re good at making them. However, ask us anything about new industry developments, and often a big question mark will appear above our heads.
That said… Two Tribes isn’t done just yet, as RIVE is still under development and should be readily available, come September 2016. A title which should hopefully enable the studio to go out with a bang; and not just because it’s a fast and furious 2D shooter with enough explosions to rival that of a Michael Bay movie either. It is though. Just look at the trailer below. Go ahead.
(Source)