Greedfall Studio Spiders Closes: The End of a Eurojank Era After 19 Years

The Final Countdown – How Spiders Reached Liquidation

The immediate trigger for Spiders' closure was Nacon's failure to secure a buyer before the mid-April deadline. According to sources familiar with the proceedings, no takeover bids were submitted, leaving the court-appointed administrator with no option but to request full judicial liquidation from the commercial court. Insiders describe this as a "mere formality" under French law, given the absence of viable alternatives.

This outcome was not entirely unexpected. Spiders had filed for insolvency following layoffs in 2024, and the closure was sealed just weeks after Greedfall: The Dying World launched in March. Statistical context from France Stratégie underscores the grim reality: approximately 67% of companies placed in judicial reorganization end up fully liquidated. For Spiders, the odds were never in their favor.

A Legacy of Ambition – Spiders' 17-Year Journey

Founded in 2008, Spiders carved a distinctive niche in the AA action-RPG space. The studio's catalog reads like a testament to creative ambition: Of Orcs and Men, Mars War Logs, The Technomancer (2016), Steelrising, and both Greedfall titles. Each game brought unique settings and narrative depth, even if technical polish sometimes fell short.

The turning point came in 2019 when Spiders was acquired by Bigben Interactive, later rebranded as Nacon. What initially seemed like a lifeline for a growing studio would eventually become a trap. Nacon's own financial instability dragged the developer down, as the parent company's struggles rippled through its subsidiaries.

Despite technical flaws, Spiders' games earned a loyal "eurojank" fanbase. The term, once pejorative, became a badge of honor for players who valued narrative ambition and worldbuilding over graphical fidelity. Greedfall, with its colonial fantasy setting, became the studio's breakout hit, selling over 1 million copies and cementing Spiders' reputation as a studio that punched above its weight.

The Dying World That Killed the Dream – Why Greedfall 2 Failed

Greedfall: The Dying World was meant to be Spiders' crowning achievement. Instead, it became the final nail in the coffin. The sequel launched with a 66/100 OpenCritic average and a devastating 17% critic recommendation rate. Players reported that the game launched in a "lackluster state" on Steam, plagued by technical issues and unpolished mechanics. The original Greedfall still maintains more than twice as many concurrent players on Steam as its sequel—a stark indicator of the franchise's declining appeal. For a studio already on financial life support, such a reception was catastrophic.

Adding to the uncertainty is the fate of "Black Mass," a DLC announced for May 2025. Community skepticism is high, with many questioning whether the content will ever see release given the studio's financial state.

Who's to Blame? A Pattern of Neglect

The French video game union Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (STJV) has been blunt in its assessment. In a March statement, the union directly blamed Nacon and its executives for mismanagement: "Their disdain for video game production and their incompetence actively sabotaged studios which were viable until their acquisition, and jeopardized projects with a high potential."

The union's accusations paint a picture of systematic neglect. They cite prioritization of quick profits over sustainable strategy, cancellation of a project codenamed "Dark," and deteriorating working conditions. The pattern is clear: Nacon's leadership, focused on short-term gains, failed to nurture the studios under its umbrella.

This is not an isolated incident. Other Nacon subsidiaries, including KT Racing and Cyanide, have also been affected by the parent company's financial instability and insolvency filings. The 2019 acquisition that once seemed like a lifeline became a trap as Nacon's financial troubles deepened, dragging its creative subsidiaries down with it.

The Human Toll – 70 Employees, a Final Drink, and an Uncertain Future

Behind the corporate jargon and financial statistics are real people. Spiders employed approximately 70 individuals at the time of closure. Under French law, layoff notices must be issued within 15 days of the court's final ruling, leaving staff in a state of limbo.

Currently, employees are updating resumes and participating in self-study sessions rather than working on patches or new content. The Works Council is coordinating an effort to let employees buy back their own office equipment—a small but meaningful gesture in the face of professional upheaval.

On April 28, 2026, the team plans to gather for a final weekly drink, honoring 17 years of creativity and camaraderie. It's a poignant tribute to a studio that, despite its technical shortcomings, fostered a community of developers passionate about their craft.

Spiders' closure is a cautionary tale about the fragility of AA studios in a consolidating industry—where a single poorly received sequel and a parent company's financial instability can erase nearly two decades of creative output. For fans of eurojank, the loss is profound: a developer that consistently punched above its weight, delivering ambitious RPGs with heart, is gone. But this isn't just the end of a studio—it's a warning that the AA space, where creativity once thrived outside the AAA machine, is becoming uninhabitable. The question isn't whether Nacon can survive; it's whether any studio can.