Tales of Kenzera: Zau dev Surgent Studios puts entire games team on hiatus due to lack of funding

All games employees on notice for redundancy as developer seeks partner for next prototype

Image credit: Surgent Studios

Surgent Studios has put its entire games division on hiatus as it struggles to secure funding, placing an unknown number of staff at risk of being laid off.

The developer, which also operates in TV and film production, announced the news via a statement on social media in which it said it has “unfortunately had to put our team on notice for redundancy.”

Surgent Studios was originally unveiled as Silver Rain Studios in 2020, before later rebranding. It was co-founded by Assassin’s Creed Origins and House of the Dragon actor Abubakar Salim, who drove the vision behind its debut title Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

Despite decent reviews and the backing of Electronic Arts’ EA Originals label, the game is believed to have struggled commercially, with Surgent Studios laying off “just over a dozen people” back in June – three months after Tales of Kenzera: Zau’s launch.

Since the game’s release, the Surgent Studios games team has been working on a new prototype for something “darker, edgier, and more visceral” than its previous game.

In its statement, the studio said it is still seeking a partner for this project, while also promising “a couple of exciting updates” for Zau in the future.