Developer of cozy tea shop adventure Wanderstop is shutting down: 'It's a particularly tough time for raising game funds'

Developer of cozy tea shop adventure Wanderstop is shutting down: ‘It’s a particularly tough time for raising game funds’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Sim I crashed out reading layoff condolence letters in this shop sim about a laid-off adventurer made by a laid-off Xbox developer Gaming Industry An indie asking for $250,000 is ‘a drop in the bucket’ says Tunic’s publisher, but indies are in a ‘survival’ era because companies think that ‘isn’t profitable enough’ to fund Action PUBG: Blindspot is closing after less than 2 months of early access Survival & Crafting V Rising studio is working on a new game, and it sounds like it’s got teeth: ‘The odyssey of the Vampire continues’ Gaming Industry Call of Duty veteran’s new studio, which was just announced in 2025, is being closed by Sony Gaming Industry ‘You would not believe the number of AI games in our inbox’ says Tunic’s publisher ‘I am tired of seeing it’ Gaming Industry Soren Johnson on keeping his game studio small: ‘You get better games if you take longer to make games’ Gaming Industry Lost Ark fans fear the worst as Amazon lays off more employees ‘as part of broader organizational decisions’ Roguelike ‘It’s weird in the industry right now’: Cult of the Lamb’s devs still have faith that the indie scene will continue dishing out ‘smash hits’ Gaming Industry 3 months after revealing his debut project at The Game Awards, Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi loses NetEase funding for his studio Gaming Industry Bluepoint Games, Sony’s famed remaster studio, is being closed as the fallout from PlayStation’s disastrous pivot to live service continues Games One of the biggest ROM sites around calls it quits as RAM prices surge and donations plateau: ‘I have been paying more than $6,000 out of pocket every month’ FPS Remedy is moving on from FBC: Firebreak, but it’s going out with a bang: One final update adds 5 new maps, a lower price, friend’s pass, and a promise the game will ‘continue to be playable for years to come’ Life Sim Schedule 1 developer TVGS is ‘an actual game studio’ now, with an office, desks, and a new guy named Rob: ‘By the end of the year, there will likely be 4 people working on Schedule 1’ Action MindsEye studio claims it now has ‘overwhelming evidence of organized espionage and corporate sabotage’ that somehow made its game bad, and also it’s laying off more people PopularSpring SaleClipsCrimson DesertMarathonBest PC gearQuizzes Gaming Industry Developer of cozy tea shop adventure Wanderstop is shutting down: ‘It’s a particularly tough time for raising game funds’ News By Christopher Livingston published 28 March 2026 The studio, Ivy Road, wasn’t able to secure funding for its next game, Engine Angel. 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Subscribe to our newsletter Developer Ivy Road, maker of last year’s cozy tea shop adventure Wanderstop, is shutting down, the studio announced today.Calling the announcement “bittersweet,” the developer said that its doors will be closing as of March 31. “It’s hard to put into words how thankful we are to have been able to work together on Wanderstop—this is an incredible group of people!”Wanderstop (here’s our 84% review) was Ivy Road’s first and now only game, representing a collaboration between the creative voices of several celebrated creators: it was written by Davey Wrenden of The Stanley Parable and Karla Zimonja of Tacoma, and featured music composed by C418 of Minecraft.The closure of Ivy Road follows layoffs of several members of the team in late January after the studio failed to secure funding for a new project called Engine Angel.”While we tried to shop the concept around and find a publishing partner, unfortunately we weren’t able to land a deal,” Ivy Road said. “It’s a particularly tough time for raising game funds, so while we weren’t necessarily surprised, we are disappointed that we won’t be able to bring Engine Angel to life together as a team.”You can see a bit of Engine Angel, which was created by animator Liz Caingcoy, in this Bluesky thread.Wanderstop will remain for sale on the platforms it’s available on, and there may be some news to come: “There’s still one last surprise brewing, one we’ve been working on for the las