top of page
Writer's pictureRobert Marrujo

Surgent Studios Puts Games Division on Hiatus

The studio's previous and only game was Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

Sadly, the video game industry continues to be in a state of turmoil. This time, Surgent Studios finds itself in a perilous position as it has put the company's entire games division on haitus and at risk of being laid off. Surgent is the outfit headed by Abubakar Salim, known for his work as a voice actor in the industry, whose first game was the recent Tales of Kenzera: Zau. Although pushed as part of the EA Originals label and companies like Nintendo featuring it heavily during a press-only hands-on session at this year's GDC, Zau seems to have had weak sales since launch. Surgent already laid off over a dozen people this past June.



This news comes at a time where the video game industry is hemorrhaging workers at an alarming pace. Since the end of 2023, it has been a relentless stream of layoffs and even studio closures, with little signs of the bleeding stopping anytime soon. In the case of Surgent, the failure of Zau to find an audience seems to be at the center of the company's spiral. It should be noted that in the statement about the situation made to the public, Surgent insists that it is still working on a new video game project, but that it needs external funding in order to see it to fruition.


bottom of page