Echtra Games Shuts Down by Zynga | PC Games Insider

Sure thing, let’s dive into the madness of this tale:

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So, here’s the deal: Echtra Games — you know, the brains behind Torchlight 3 — well, they’re toast now. Zynga pulled the plug. Why? They’re calling it a “strategic realignment.” Whatever that actually means, right? I’ve always wondered why big companies use such cryptic expressions. Maybe to keep things mysterious? Or just to make bad news sound fancy? Who knows.

Anyway, Echtra was the brainchild of Max Schaefer. This guy was a big deal at Runic Games — seriously, he’s like the OG developer of Torchlight and its sequel back in 2012. Fast forward to 2016, and boom, he’s setting up Echtra, with Perfect World in his corner. They eventually dropped Torchlight 3 in 2020.

Then in 2021, Zynga comes along, scoops up Echtra. No one really knows for how much, but I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time. Meanwhile, Perfect World kept their hands on Torchlight 3. Oh, and at Zynga, Echtra dabbled in some hush-hush RPG stuff and even did a bit with CSR Racing. Plus, they tried to patch up Star Wars: Hunters, though from the sounds of it, that was a hot mess.

Now, back to the present chaos. In some formal statement — which, yes, I still imagine being read in a super serious tone — Zynga admits, “We’ve gotta close Echtra, and yeah, some roles are getting axed too.” But they also insist they’re handling it respectfully, treating their people right during this mess. I mean, you’d hope so, right?

So, there you have it. Another day, another studio bites the dust. Makes you wonder what’s next on the chopping block.