Three Fields Entertainment — the independent studio formed by the original creators of Burnout — has placed its entire staff on redundancy notice following the troubled launch of its open-world driving game Wreckreation. CEO and co-founder Fiona Sperry announced the news on LinkedIn, calling the decision “unbelievably painful” and citing a lack of financial support from publisher THQ Nordic. (h/t GamesIndustry)
Wreckreation launched in October with modest expectations, but the early numbers were grim. According to SteamDB, the game peaked at 199 players at launch, a figure that made long-term sustainability nearly impossible for a studio of Three Fields’ size. And things haven’t gotten any better since then. Sperry said the team realized quickly that revenue from sales would not arrive “for the foreseeable future,” forcing the company to self-fund updates and post-launch content throughout most of the year.
“Without the enthusiasm or financial support from our publisher to continue development, we simply cannot sustain the studio in its current form,” Sperry wrote. “This is a heartbreaking moment for all of us.”
Below is Sperry’s post on LinkedIn in full. We have also included the names she mentions at the end of the post.
Today I am having to share one of the hardest messages of my career. After twelve years of building and nurturing Three Fields Entertainment, I am forced into the situation of today placing our entire team on notice of redundancy.
Since the launch of Wreckreation, our small studio has worked incredibly hard — with heart and dedication — to update the game, listen to our community, and deliver the fixes and features players asked for. I could not be prouder of the people I’ve worked alongside or the passion they’ve poured into this project.
But the reality we now face is stark. As an independent studio, we will not see revenue from game sales for the foreseeable future. We have had to self-fund most of this year and all of the post launch content. Without the enthusiasm or financial support from our publisher to continue development, we simply cannot sustain the studio in its current form. Making this decision has been unbelievably painful.
This is a heartbreaking moment for all of us. What makes it even harder is that we have so many things in the pipeline — multiple features, updates, and creative ideas that we were excited to bring to the game, many of which are showcased in the video we’re sharing today. These are things we genuinely believed would have continued to strengthen Wreckreation and grow its community.
My hope is that by showing this work publicly, someone out there might also see that potential and perhaps an opportunity could still emerge. But even if that hope does not materialise, we want this to stand as a testament to our vision and to the strength, passion, and skill of our tiny team. I truly believe in the potential of this game and in the brilliance of the people who built it.
To everyone who has supported us, played our games, or believed in our studio: thank you. Your support has meant the world – We will, again at our own cost, ensure the next update that includes a Crossplay feature does get published before Christmas and we hope you and your friends can enjoy the world that we have built together, whichever platform you play on.
I will also be happy to provide references and contact details for my amazing team, who have made this journey such a pleasure and who are truly exceptional talents. Phil Maguire Basia Ulczok Russell Maclean Paul Phillpot Ben Smith Alex Veal Ethan Phipps
Three Fields Entertainment was founded in 2014 by Sperry and Alex Ward, both veterans of Criterion Games and key creative forces behind the Burnout franchise. The studio focused on smaller-scale, physics-driven action titles early on — including Dangerous Golf, Danger Zone, and Danger Zone 2 — before attempting a larger, more ambitious project with Wreckreation.
With the entire studio now at risk, the future of Wreckreation and the developers behind it remains uncertain. But Sperry’s message emphasized gratitude, pride, and a belief that the team’s work may still find a path forward.
Wreckreation is currently available for the PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.
