Zynga Shuts Down Echtra Games | PC Games Insider

Sure thing, here it goes:

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So, you know the whole Torchlight series, right? Well, turns out the folks behind Torchlight 3 — Echtra Games — just got, well, the boot from Zynga. Yeah, I said it. Zynga, that big gaming fish owned by Take-Two, decided to close ’em down. It’s like one of those “strategic realignment” moves. Yep, that’s the fancy phrase they’re tossing around. Oh, the irony!

Now, let’s rewind a bit. Echtra wasn’t just any game studio; it was started by Max Schaefer. If that name rings a bell, it should. He’s the mastermind who co-founded Runic Games, the original brains behind the first Torchlight and its sequel back in 2012. Fast forward a few years — he splits and sets up Echtra in 2016. Yeah, it was under Perfect World then, the same folks that let us loose on Torchlight 3 in 2020.

Then there’s this twist. Zynga steps in, buys Echtra in 2021, but never spills how much dough they forked over. Perfect World? Oh, they still cling to Torchlight 3. Meanwhile, up at Zynga HQ, Echtra was busy with a secret cross-platform RPG. Plus, some work on CSR Racing and the ever-bumping Star Wars: Hunters. But now? Nada.

The rep from Zynga piped up, saying how they’ve to stop all things Echtra — new projects and roles, poof, gone! Might seem cold, right? But hey, they’re talking about how it’s all strategic — reallocating those precious resources. They promised to treat the employees right, though. Whatever that means. It’s tough out there, I guess.

What a ride, huh?