Galiléa goes out of business

Written by Jack Allin — March 9, 2005 at 21:11

The adventure genre has suffered another setback with the announcement that French developer Galiléa has officially shut its doors for business.

Originally formed in 1996, Galiléa broke into the genre with an adventure/edutainment title called Genesys, before finding a much wider audience with its promising Cameron Files series (Loch Ness and Pharaoh's Curse/Amenophis). The company's final adventure was Jack the Ripper in early 2004. These games met with mixed public and critical reaction; often considered to be entertaining, but suffering from what the developer admits were rushed production schedules.

Having already cancelled production on the third Cameron Files game and shutting down its main studio in Grenoble, France, Galiléa has existed since mid-2004 as a skeleton company based in Montreal, Canada. However, unable to secure any new development deals, co-founder Philippe Gaudé has now confirmed that budget considerations have forced them to close down and seek opportunities elsewhere.

With this news coming on the heels of fellow developers Detalion and Microïds Canada facing similar financial realities, it's yet another sobering reminder of the challenges facing even experienced developers in a small market.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances, Gaudé graciously acknowledged the many people who helped make their games possible in a final note of appreciation, while reserving a special "thank you to all the people who bought our games and played them. I hope we’ve brought you some enjoyable experiences through these works of passion and dedication."