Zynga Shuts Down Echtra Games, Ends Development on Unannounced RPG

Zynga has officially closed down Echtra Games, the San Francisco-based studio known for developing Torchlight 3.

The closure comes roughly 4 years after Echtra was acquired by Zynga, during which time the studio had been quietly working on an unannounced cross-platform action RPG.

According to a statement provided to IGN, Zynga cited a “strategic realignment” as the reason for shuttering Echtra.

While Zynga has not revealed how many employees were affected, LinkedIn data indicates that at least 61 people list Echtra as their current employer. Whether any of them will be reassigned to other Zynga or Take-Two Interactive teams remains unknown at this time.

A Brief History of Echtra Games

Echtra Games was founded by Max Schaefer, one of the original co-creators of Diablo and co-founder of Runic Games, the studio behind the original Torchlight titles.

Initially backed by Perfect World, Echtra was originally developing a Torchlight MMO that evolved into Torchlight Frontiers and later rebranded as Torchlight 3.

In 2021, Zynga acquired Echtra Games, announcing that the studio would work on a brand-new cross-platform RPG in collaboration with NaturalMotion, developers of CSR Racing and Star Wars: Hunters.

Sadly, this new RPG was never formally revealed to the public, and with the closure of Echtra, it’s likely the project has been permanently shelved.

Part of a Larger Trend in Game Industry Layoffs

The closure of Echtra comes just three months after Zynga also announced the shutdown of Star Wars: Hunters, another NaturalMotion project, less than a year after its release.

Zynga’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has also been undergoing internal restructuring. In the past year, Take-Two:

• Dismantled and sold off its Private Division publishing label

• Laid off around 5% of its workforce

• Canceled multiple in-development projects

At the time of writing, there’s no confirmation regarding whether affected Echtra developers will be transitioned to new roles within Zynga or Take-Two. However, Zynga has stated that it is working to treat impacted employees "with the utmost respect and consideration."