Tiny Speck to shut down Glitch, citing lack of player interest

Vancouver- based developer doubts $ 17 million project is sustainable

Online game developer Tiny Speck is pulling the plug on Glitch. The Vancouver- based company announced in a blog that its elaborate $ 17 million online social gaming venture has not attracted enough players to sustain it – and that it does not expect to recruit enough additional players in future to sustain it.

The game was predicated on the “freemium” model that has proved successful for Facebook-connected online gaming giant Zynga, which allows players to play games such as Farmville for free but relies on voluntary purchases of game enhancements to turn a profit.

The launch of the game was delayed several times due to technical issues associated with creating a “massively multiplayer online” game.

Tiny Speck principal Stewart Butterfield, who spent almost four years on the project, declined to comment.

The game shuts down for good Dec. 8, according to the blog. Tiny Speck said “automatic refunds for purchases will begin immediately” and that manual refunds will be provided for older transactions.

“Unfortunately, Glitch has not attracted an audience large enough to sustain itself and based on a long period of experimentation and our best estimates, it seems unlikely that it ever would,” the blog said.

It said a consumer shift toward casual gaming on smartphones, and a recent decision by Adobe Systems to abandon its mobile Flash Player platform contributed towards Glitch’s demise.

A core development group will remain with Glitch but the majority of workers — there were least 40 during peak development last year — will lose their jobs.