Aurora Game Studios Announcement December 2024

First and foremost, I want to sincerely apologise for the lack of communication over the past few months. I understand it has been unfair to leave you without updates for so long. The truth is, that the future of the project has been in constant flux and filled with uncertainty. During this time, we’ve been working tirelessly to explore different options in the hope of keeping the game moving forward.

Three and a half years ago, while my wife and daughter were away for the weekend, I sat down at my desk with an idea, a name, and a dream—to create the kind of deep, immersive survival game I had always wanted to play. I still remember the moment my wife walked into the room when they returned, asking what I was up to. I told her, “Rather than playing games every night, I’ve decided to make one instead.”

What started as a personal challenge quickly became a shared journey. From learning the craft of game development to sharing each milestone with our growing community, I’ve been overwhelmed by the passion, creativity, and support you’ve shown. The project grew in scope and ambition because of you, and together we built something far beyond what I could have imagined during those early days.

Creating Skye: The Misty Isle has been a labour of love, and seeing the game come alive in Unreal Engine 5 was nothing short of remarkable. From crafting the intricate details of Skye and Mørsvikbotn to perfecting gameplay mechanics that honoured the Viking spirit, every step was a mix of challenge and joy. I’ll never forget moments like launching our first internal build on Steam or the hilarity of our first community livestream, where a spawning bug gave us all the unforgettable Wilbur.

But this journey has not been without its struggles. Developing an indie game of this scale brought immense financial pressure and required personal sacrifices from everyone on the team. Despite countless promising conversations with investors and publishers, we were never able to secure the funding needed to complete the game and as such entirely self-funded development out of our own pockets. This left us operating under a near-constant crunch, with many of us working 80+ hour weeks, sacrificing time with our families to keep the dream alive.

I’ll always remember the words of my daughter, who was just one year old when I began this journey and four at launch. She told me, “You haven’t done anything with us as a family since I was two.” That moment hit me hard. Despite all our efforts, and even with the launch of Early Access—a decision born of necessity—we found ourselves launching alongside much larger, more polished titles, struggling to gain the traction needed to sustain the project.

On paper, the launch was a success: only 16% of indie teams make it to release, and we sat in the top 20% of best-selling games on Steam. Yet, the harsh reality is that only the top 8% of games on the platform generate sustainable revenue. The reality post-launch is that none of the team has been able to be paid, myself included and we have not generated enough income to cover the personal expenses incurred during development let alone sustain a future for the business.

As such and after much reflection, I’ve made the incredibly difficult decision to stop production on Skye: The Misty Isle and disbanding Aurora Game Studios. This is not the outcome I had hoped for, but continuing under these circumstances is no longer sustainable—for the team or me personally. I have a young family to look out for, and at this time, I need to prioritise my own and their well-being.

We do have one final update to share. Over the past six months, we’ve been working hard on an overhaul and bug-fixing patch, which will include significant improvements to farming mechanics, over 130 bug fixes, and 40 quality-of-life updates. For those who already own the game, it will remain accessible in your libraries, but we will be removing it from sale on Steam as a recognition that production is ceasing.

To everyone who has supported us on this journey—our amazing community, the dedicated team members who shared this dream, and every player who set sail with us—I cannot thank you enough. Your enthusiasm, feedback, and belief in this project brought Skye: The Misty Isle to life in ways I never could have imagined.

While this chapter of Aurora Game Studios is coming to a close, I deeply believe this isn’t the end of Skye’s story. The heart of the game remains a dream I hold close, and I hope to return to it one day under brighter circumstances.

As I’ve reflected on these last weeks and the question my daughter posed to me, “What happened to your game Daddy?” someone close to the project shared a saying with me: “Man trifft sich immer zweimal im Leben” – “You meet each other at least twice in a lifetime.” I will share that sentiment with my daughter and carry it with me as I take the next steps forward.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything.

With deepest gratitude,

Mark Founder, Aurora Game Studios