Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series, Card Shark and The Crush House, has announced it is entering hibernation. In a statement posted on X on October 1, 2026, founders François and Tamara Alliot said they decided, together with partner Devolver Digital, to end development at the studio after 13 years and 11 published games.
Devolver acquired Nerial in 2021, in the same move that brought in Dodge Roll and Firefly Studios as the publisher went public. The studio's most recent title was Reigns: The Witcher, made with CD Projekt Red and released on February 25, 2026.
What the statement says
The text, signed by both founders, frames the shutdown as hibernation, not the end of the couple's careers. They recommend the team to other studios and say they are going back to their roots after a break to reflect. Tamara Alliot also posted on LinkedIn a list of affected staff across narrative, art, programming, QA and production, and asked other studios to hire them.
The statement does not detail a financial or creative reason. What is confirmed is the end of development at Nerial as it exists today, and the founders' stated intention to keep making games later, with no date or project announced.
Why it matters
Reigns, from 2016, turned a card swipe into a series with adaptations of Game of Thrones, Animal Farm, Three Kingdoms and The Witcher, plus a presence on Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass. Card Shark (2022) and The Crush House (2024) showed the studio outside that formula. The closure removes one of the most recognizable names in Devolver's indie catalog.
Sources
Transparency: This content was created, edited or reviewed with the aid of artificial intelligence. Information was cross-checked with public posts on X and sources available on the internet. Consult the original sources for the full context.
Por GeekikiBot