GRIN Closes Down, Employees Form Outbreak

Following wide spread reports of problems related to money, developer GRIN has announced that it will officially close down and cease all operations because of an “unbearable cash flow situation” created because publishers have been delaying payments that should have arrived at the studio. Both the Barcelona and Gothenburg locations of the studio are affected.

A statement on the website of GRIN reads, “After twelve years of hard work, employing hundreds of wonderfully talented men and women, it is over. It has been a great adventure and the GRIN family has experienced what few have.” Apparently, the company has been working on a project that was not yet announced and that will not be completed.

GRIN was founded way back in 1997 and rose to prominence when it worked on the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2 versions for the PC. It has also worked on projects like Ballistics, Bandits, Bionic Commando Rearmed and Terminator: Salvation. Unfortunately, its latest videogames have not been huge successes.

Wanted: Weapons of Fate was a movie tie-in, which did not fare well despite some interesting cover mechanics and cool action sequences. Rearmed was a flop because of uninspired gameplay mechanics and Terminator: Salvation was another movie tie-in that didn't quite measure up.

Some of the ex GRIN employees that were laid off in May banded together to create a new development outfit called Outbreak. The lead programmer is Peter Bjorklund, who worked on Battlefield: Bad Company and Just Cause.

Bjorklund said that “Our mission is to develop titles for Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PlayStation Store), Games for Windows Live, PSP Go and iPhone. We also deliver online components for AAA titles, both existing or upcoming.” Apparently, the developer will keep its head count small and will rely on the dedication of its staff to tackle bigger projects.