505 Games Announce No More Production on Indivisible Due to Lab Zero Games’ “Restructuring and Dissolution”

Indivisible

505 Games have announced due to the “restructuring and dissolution” of Lab Zero Games, there will be no more production on Indivisible; including Indiegogo backer and guest characters.

As previously reported, four employees publicly stated they had left the company due to the alleged behavior of Zaimont, then a lead design director. This included allegations of sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior.


The board and employees of Lab Zero Games allegedly asked Zaimont to leave the company. As he was the sole owner, this would not be a simple matter.

While Zaimont allegedly entered negotiations to leave the company and was put on administrative leave, he allegedly made unrealistic and “potentially illegal” terms. When the majority of the terms were rejected, Zaimont stated he would not leave. He then allegedly removed all members of the board, and assumed full control over Lab Zero Games.

In late August, several employees announced they left the company, and alluded to the claims. These included art producer Brian Jun, lead animator Mariel Cartwright, Senior Animator Jonathan Kim, and UI designer Brady Hartel. It should bear mentioning that some employees may have quit without discussing it publicly.

In early September, Kim claimed that Zaimont had laid off everyone who didn’t quit LZ, but hasn’t agreed to a severance for them yet.” Former Lab Zero staff later formed the employee-owned Future Club.

Now 505 Games, the publisher of Indivisible has announced the game will no longer be updated.

In the full statement on the 505 Games website, they explain that “In light of the recent restructuring and dissolution of Lab Zero” new content for the game will not be created- including Indiegogo-backer related characters, and guest characters from other indie games.

You can find the statement below.


“At this stage, apart from content that is already in submission, there will unfortunately be no more production on the game.

We understand that longtime players have been waiting for Guest Characters as well as some Backer-created characters. Regretfully, this additional content will not be added to the game.

There is an update for Nintendo Switch that is already in submission. It will add Razmi’s Challenges, New Game+ and Couch Co-Op to the Nintendo Switch. That update will bring all platforms to the same level of development and offer a complete game experience to all current and future players. This is expected to release later this month starting on October 13th and rolling out to other regions afterwards.

Indivisible is a game of diversity, inclusion, friendship and evolution. 505 Games worked with the talented and creative people at Lab Zero for many years to bring Indivisible to life.

We are proud of the game that was created and are happy that it has received the positive response that it deserves. We are sorry the journey has ended this way.

We wish to thank all the Indivisible players, new and old, who have supported the game. From the bottom of our hearts, we appreciate you all.”


In the FAQ section under the statement, it was revealed that “the IP holder for at least one of the guest characters has backed out and we expect more will follow.” However, the physical Ajna Statue will still be produced, as 505 Games state they have taken the responsibility to produce it by paying for it to go into production.

The game will also continue to be available on digital stores. These include Windows PC, Linux, Mac (all via GOG, and Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Physical versions are also noted as being available for Nintendo Switch in Europe and Japan. However, the North American physical version has now been cancelled. 505 Games recommend those who have preordered it contact the retailer for a refund.

For those who do not have working backer codes or have not obtained digital rewards, 505 Games state that Lab Zero “is” responsible for all digital Indiegogo rewards and backer issues (bar the statues and physical versions of the game). 505 Games recommends contacting Lab Zero Games via their Indiegogo email.

We shall keep you informed as we learn more.

Image: Steam

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About

Ryan was a former Niche Gamer contributor.


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