Three Fields Entertainment is an independent studio that is not doing so well these days. The small studio was formed by the original creators of Burnout, and currently, the studio is at high risk of dissolving after the launch of Wreckreation. In a dramatic plea for community support and as a last-ditch effort, the company is now asking for support on Patreon.
Fiona Sperry, CEO of Three Fields, published the following announcement on Patreon:
“With Wreckreation, we’ve realised how important it is to take control of our own destiny again. If you’re part of the Wreckreation Discord, you’ve already seen how much we value talking to players, reacting quickly, and improving the game in real time. Even while facing uncertainty, we’ve continued to update Wreckreation at our own cost, because that’s who we are.
Our goal now is to secure around six months of runway. That time allows us to deliver the new features you’ve seen, while continuing the steady stream of fixes and improvements we’ve maintained since launch, and to build toward the future games we want to make next.”
You can join the company’s Patreon for free just to follow the updates, but if you want to support the developers, there are four tiers: Booster at $2/month, Boost Chainer at $8/month, Point of Impact at $15/month, and X WOW for $25/month. In terms of benefits, you don’t get much other than a mention in the game credits and access to the community, so this really is just about keeping the studio running.
An Uncertain Future
We have a lot of love for Burnout, so it’s certainly sad to see some of the original creators struggle like this. However, the CEO of Three Fields Entertainment looks adamant to keep the engine running. She describes the Patreon launch as a decision “rooted in belief, not retreat.” The campaign looks to secure six months of funding. Their 10-person development team costs $65,000 a month, so they’re looking to secure nearly $400,000 somehow to keep going.
This situation just goes to show how difficult it is for an independent studio these days. For every successful Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong, there are dozens of cases out there not too different from Three Fields. The company now relies on the generosity of the community to bridge the gap between its financial struggles and creative potential. In case you’re not aware of how bad things are, Wreckreation launched to an all-time peak of 199 players on Steam. Ouch.
