The state of independent PC development apparently worsened over the weekend, when reports surfaced that Stainless Steel Studios had closed its doors. Though no announcement was made, the Empire Earth developer's Web site, stainlesssteelstudios.com, went offline.
But while official word is in short supply (i.e. nonexistent), several reliable but unofficial sources have written Stainless Steel's epitaph. First up was a post by former staffer Bob Scott on the forums of Rise & Fall Heaven, a fan site dedicated to the forthcoming Stainless Steel game Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War. Under the headline "Stainless Steel Studios is no more," Scott declares that "I don't have all the details, but all of my friends there are now looking for new work."
Further confirmation of Stainless Steel's demise came today via Germany-based Gamestar.de. The site quotes studio founder Rick Goodman as blaming Rise & Fall publisher Midway Games for the developer's fiscal insolvency. He reportedly told Gamestar that after the PC strategy title's release was pushed from October to early 2006, Midway cut off advances to Stainless Steel, which in turn had to lay off its staff due to lack of funding.
Inquiries sent to Midway regarding Goodman's alleged allegations and the status of Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War had not been returned as of press time.
Founded in 1998 by Goodman and several other ex-employees of Age of Empires III developer Ensemble Studios, Stainless Steel specialized in real-time strategy titles for the PC. Over its seven-year lifespan, it released a number of decently reviewed and received games, including Empire Earth and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World.
