Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail is leaving the studio.
In a post on his blog, the indie vet said that he had sold his shares in the developer to his fellow co-founder, Jan Willem, who will continue working on Vlambeer’s long-in-development Ultrabugs once his current project is finished.
Vlambeer effectively closed down in 2020. It was founded in 2010.
“Vlambeer never quite fully ‘shut down’ though – you can’t just walk away from a decade of your life and a dozen games like that,” Ismail wrote.
“As our careers continued, with dwindling amounts of time we had for it, we tried to keep up with customer support and maintenance. In the almost half-a-decade since Vlambeer shut down, it has become clear that —while we were both happy with our new freedom and our ability to work independently from each other— we were not fully happy with where things ended up. It felt like a strange limbo in which neither of us could commit the time and effort Vlambeer needed to be maintained, but both of us were dependent on each other to take any action.”
He continued: “Ultimately, we’ve come to the conclusion that Vlambeer is better off in the hands of one of us. After discussing what that means and who should be that one, I have decided to let Jan Willem buy out my share of Vlambeer. Jan Willem’s current work still closely aligns with the aesthetics of the studio, and his continued focus on small games continues to fit the brand. His ability to take decisions without having to align times and schedules with a second party will allow Vlambeer a better future. I am hopeful that this new situation gives Vlambeer a more sustainable future – even if that ends up being simply a continued hibernation.”