Game developers who perished before the Apocalypse

This console generation hasn’t been too kind to the development fraternity, with many developers forced to shut shop. We remember these studios and the great games they made

Eden Games (Test Drive Unlimited 1 & 2)

Where is everyone?

Eden kicked off this generation with the fantastic Test Drive Unlimited. The open-world MMO-styled racer was a great, early indicator of what the HD consoles were capable of. Their next game was the bitterly disappointing Alone in the Dark, but they returned to form in style with Test Drive Unlimited 2. However, the studios relationship with parent company Atari has soured since and last we heard, Eden employees were on an indefinite strike.

Ensemble Studios (Age of Empires series, Halo Wars)

What do you mean "You don't see anything"?

Microsoft’s decision to shut down Ensemble Studios was nothing short of bewildering. Renowned as one of the leading developers of real-time strategy games, Ensemble has given us several great games as part of the Age of Empires series. The studio even helmed the Halo franchise’s only foray away from the FPS genre (Halo Wars), and with a degree of success.

Bizarre Creations (Project Gotham Racing series, Blur, Geometry Wars)

Winner takes all

Bizarre had a great run as an independent studio this gen, first with Project Gotham Racing 3 and 4, and then the fun-but-rough-around-the-edges arcade shooter, The Club. Things, however, started going downhill once the studio was acquired by Activision. Blur, which was a great combat racing game, was delayed several times, which killed much of its hype, resulting in poor sales. Activision shut down the studio soon after, and many of Bizarre’s senior staff went on to set up Lucid Games.

Team Bondi (L.A. Noire)

Yup, she's dead allright

Team Bondi’s is a rare case where a studio was forced to shut down, despite its first and only release selling millions of copies. L.A. Noire was a great game, but it was behind the scenes events that led to its closure. Accusations of harsh working conditions and unpaid wages from ex-employees made Team Bondi the black sheep of the industry, with publisher Rockstar Games publicly cutting ties with the studio.