The Swindle , the cyberpunk stealth game from Size Five Games (of Gun Monkeys fame), has been officially put on hold. In a blog post, developer Dan Marshall says that developing The Swindle has been a long process full of setbacks, and the time needed to finish it could mean the end of Size Five.
“Looking at it with fresh eyes, several elements didn't work, lots of bits need a huge rewrite, and because of its open-ended structure it'd need months and months of beta testing alone to make sure it's balanced,” Marshall writes . “Coming back to it after a few months off, I can see what needs addressing, and the bad news is I can't reeeally afford it, especially if it doesn't turn out to be a big seller. If it didn't sell astonishingly well, it'd be the end of Size Five, and that's just far too many eggs to put in a single basket.”
The Swindle isn't dead forever, though, it just won't be Size Five's next game. As for what that next game will be, Marshall isn't saying just yet.
“Right now I'm in limbo,” Marshall writes. “Kind of kicking around, poking at ideas with sticks. I'm prototyping some new stuff. Something that's a bit more A-to-B than The Swindle, something a bit more story-based.”
Check out the full blog post to revel in the sad news, and follow Marshall's Twitter for updates on what comes next. If you haven't already, look into the excellent but underpopulated Gun Monkeys to boost Marshall's spirits.
