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Mobile Publisher Fortis Games Shuts Down, Affecting Up to 440 Staff
Mobile publisher Fortis Games has shut down after its reported funder ended support, affecting up to 440 staff. Twilight Towers goes offline November 16.
Mobile publisher Fortis Games has shut down, according to co-founder Steven Chiang and a wave of posts from former staff. The San Francisco studio, founded in 2022 by former EA and WB Games executives, is reported to have closed after its outside funding ended, putting up to 440 jobs at risk and ending its live mobile game Twilight Towers, which was already scheduled to go offline on November 16.
What happened
Chiang confirmed the closure in a statement to GamesBeat, saying the team was "not able to achieve the goals we set for ourselves" when it started more than five years ago. He said the company's focus would now be on helping its staff find new jobs. At the time of reporting, Fortis had not published a formal public announcement and had not answered requests for comment on the staff count.
Former staff reported that Las Vegas Sands, the casino company that primarily funded Fortis, ended its support and terminated all contracts worldwide. The company has not confirmed that account. Former communications director Scott Butterworth put it more bluntly: "we finally ran out of runway."
The shutdown follows an announcement made days earlier that Twilight Towers would close on November 16, which the company attributed to weak player retention. Fortis had grown by acquiring three development teams, Doppio Games, Oktagon Games and Metagame, and its published titles included Mergemon Wilds, Twilight Towers and Bloom & Breakfast.
Key details
- Studio: Fortis Games, a mobile-focused publisher and developer
- Founded: 2022, by Steven Chiang and Shawn Foust (Insider Gaming also names Calvin Lau as a co-founder)
- Headquarters: San Francisco, California
- Staff affected: Up to 440 people, according to GamesIndustry.biz and Insider Gaming; a former communications director put it at more than 400
- Funding: Las Vegas Sands, according to former employees
- Games affected: Twilight Towers goes offline November 16; Mergemon Wilds and Bloom & Breakfast are also tied to the studio
- Missing or unconfirmed: The official staff count, the reasons behind the funding decision and the fate of unreleased projects have not been confirmed by the company
What it means for developers
- Funding can vanish quickly. Fortis reportedly depended on a single outside backer. When that support ended, the company had no runway left, so check how long a publisher or investor can realistically keep you funded.
- Live mobile games need long-term budgets. The company cited low player retention for Twilight Towers. Plan for servers, content updates and player support across the whole lifecycle, not just the launch window.
- Acquisitions are not a safety net. Fortis bought three studios and still collapsed. Keep clear ownership of your IP, code and tools in any deal, and avoid letting a single partner hold all of it.
- Build for portability. A sudden closure leaves teams scrambling. Keep source control, build pipelines and design documents organized so a project can move to a new home quickly.
- Wait for confirmed facts. Much of the detail came from LinkedIn posts and former employees. Treat funding claims and headcounts as reported until the company or its backers confirm them.
Sources
Cover image: © Fortis Games.
