Australia’s last remaining AAA developer, 2K Australia, will no longer be operating as it’s parent company 2K blames high development costs in the country as the major reason behind this move.
2K Australia first sprung into life under the name of Irrational Canberra at the turn of the millennium, only to then separate from Irrational to work under the wing of 2K. The studio became it’s own independent entity in 2011 after a short spell under affiliation with 2K Marin. 2K Australia finally made a name for itself as studio in its own right with the recent release of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel.
Attempts were make by 2K to save the company though. Bosses were in the process of drawing up plans for the studio to me moved to Melbourne in order to bring in new talent, only to see key members of staff leave as a result. Their leaving is thought to have been a major influence in the decision to close Australia’s final bastion of AAA development.
In a statement issued to Kotaku Australia, 2K said “”We can confirm we have taken steps to begin the studio closure process for 2K Australia in order to better manage ongoing development costs while improving the working proximity of our creative teams.” The statement also mentions that 2K are working with those affected to find new places of work for them. This is however unlikely in Australia as the AAA development industry in the country has been dwindling for a long time, a pattern that this closure sadly continues.
There may be some hope as smaller indie studios and mobile developers, along with Wargaming’s Sydney branch are opening their doors to whoever they can. Those who were at 2K Australia may find a new position in one of these studios but the group itself is no longer with us.
