SkySaga Comes Crashing To Earth; Publisher Smilegate Pulls Out, Radiant Worlds Faces Mass Layoffs

SkySaga developer Radiant Worlds has some sad news to report. Negotiations with publisher Smilegate to renew the two companies' recently expired contract have deteriorated to the point that the game will be "put on hold for an indefinite period of time."

As the free-to-play sandbox building game is Radiant Worlds' only property, that means that everyone in the studio could soon be out of a job.

The grim news broke earlier today via a terse announcement on the Radiant Worlds website, with CEO Philip Oliver and other executives admitting "shock" at Smilegate's decision, after four years of a strong working relationship:

"We were extremely shocked and saddened to hear Smilegate's decision. Despite an extended period of negotiation, this came as a total shock to us, especially as we continue to believe the game has enormous potential. We have been 100% dedicated to developing SkySaga for Smilegate for several years but since there is no prospect of obtaining enough replacement business within a realistic timeframe, we have been left with no option but to notify our staff of the intended consultancy period today."

Still in beta, it looks now as if SkySaga may never see a full commercial release. We'll keep you updated if there are any new developments on this front.