Timbre Games is going indie after being shuttered by Sumo Group

Timbre Games, the Canadian studio closed by Sumo Group earlier this year, will be returning as an indie.

Studio founder and CEO Joe Nickolls shared the news on LinkedIn and explained Sumo has allowed leadership to obtain the Timbre Games name and brand.

“Some big news to share today. As many of you know, Timbre Games Studio had to close our doors a couple of months ago, but we weren’t quite ready to throw in the towel just yet,” he wrote. “The great people at Sumo Digital Ltd have helped us transition into a fully independent studio.”

Nickolls said the new-look studio has tapped strategic advisor Studio Capital Management to oversee business development and has appointed a new leadership team. He intends to share more about the future of Timbre in the coming months.

Timbre Games says “watch this space”

In June, it was reported that around 80 employees had been laid off by Timbre and parent company Sumo. It’s currently unclear whether any of those staffers will be returning to the fold.

Sumo formed Timbre in 2021 via its Pipeworks subsidiary. It was billed as a “new kind of studio where diversity, transparency, community, and healthy culture will be in its DNA.”

Nickolls, formerly VP and general manager at The Sims developer Maxis, was hired to lead the studio and oversee development on action-adventure and simulation titles.

Timbre is now teasing a reveal of some kind on its website, which implores visitors to “watch this space.” Game Developer has reached out to Nickolls for more information on the studio’s return.