Nerial, the independent studio responsible for the acclaimed card-based strategy game Card Shark and the popular Reigns series, has announced it will close its doors after 13 years. The studio confirmed the decision in a farewell message posted on social media.
Tamara and François Alliot, Nerial's CEO and creative director respectively, stated that while this marks the end of Nerial, it is not the end of their game development careers. "We're going back to our roots," they wrote. "François' unrelenting drive to make games is as strong as ever, but first we need to take a break and reflect on everything that's happened, before coming back with a new perspective."
Nerial first made a significant impact in 2016 with the release of Reigns, a game where players make royal decisions by swiping cards left or right. This was followed by the 2022 release of Card Shark, a narrative adventure game centered around cheating at card games, which also garnered critical praise.
The studio's announcement suggests a period of reflection and rest before the founders pursue new projects. The exact nature of their future endeavors remains unspecified, but they have indicated a continued passion for game creation.