ProbablyMonsters’ First Games Reveal a Surprising New Direction
▼ Summary
– Harold Ryan founded ProbablyMonsters in 2016 to transform AAA game development, aiming to provide developers with more predictability and respect in the workplace.
– The company has shifted from targeting AAA games to a “scattergun approach,” focusing on smaller, quicker-to-make games across multiple genres, with plans to release titles annually.
– ProbablyMonsters announced two new games: *Storm Lancers*, a rogue-like with couch co-op, and *Ire: A Prologue*, a psychological horror game, both priced at $19.99 and developed in about 18 months.
– The company restructured, closing internal studios like Cauldron and Hidden Grove, and now operates with integrated teams of around 200 employees, prioritizing agility and shared resources.
– Ryan acknowledges the challenges of the games-as-a-service (GaaS) model, emphasizing the need for sustainable, audience-focused game development rather than relying on a single business model.
Former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan is steering ProbablyMonsters toward an unexpected new strategy, one that abandons AAA ambitions in favor of smaller, faster projects. The studio’s first two releases, Storm Lancers and Ire: A Prologue, mark a sharp departure from its original vision of transforming blockbuster game development.
Ryan founded ProbablyMonsters in 2016 with the goal of improving workplace conditions for developers while creating high-budget titles for major publishers. But the gaming landscape has shifted dramatically since then. Spiraling costs, market saturation, and the collapse of Firewalk Studios, a ProbablyMonsters offshoot acquired by Sony, forced a rethink. Now, the focus is on agility: shorter development cycles, diverse genres, and budget-friendly pricing.
Storm Lancers, a neon-drenched rogue-like with couch co-op, channels 80s anime vibes, while Ire: A Prologue delivers a tense, narrative-driven horror experience. Both were crafted in under two years and priced at $19.99, a deliberate move to align with audience expectations. “We’re treating Ire like a pilot episode,” Ryan explains. “Let players tell us what works.”
The pivot hasn’t been painless. ProbablyMonsters recently shuttered several internal studios, consolidating its workforce from 400 to around 200 employees. The new structure emphasizes shared resources and cross-team collaboration, a far cry from the previous hub-and-spoke model. “There’s no single right way to make games anymore,” Ryan admits.
Live-service titles, once Ryan’s specialty, now take a backseat. While he hasn’t ruled out future GaaS projects, the emphasis is on sustainable, audience-driven experiences. “You build for the players, not the business model,” he says. With an open-world RPG and an extraction shooter still in development, ProbablyMonsters is betting on variety, and adaptability, to survive an industry in flux.
“Success isn’t about being the biggest,” Ryan reflects. “It’s about making games that last.”
(Source: Games Industry)
