NetEase closes Austin studio TMinus Zero after two-year partnership

NetEase has shut down Austin-based game studio TMinus Zero Entertainment, the studio’s founder Rich Vogel confirmed after announcing the end of the companies partnership on LinkedIn on August 26, 2025. The closure ends a two-year relationship that began when NetEase launched the studio in August 2023 to develop a new third-person online multiplayer action game set in a science fiction universe.

Vogel wrote that NetEase provided "ample runway and support" that allowed TMinus Zero to build a fully playable demo that "generated a lot of interest," but that "current market conditions have prevented us from securing the funding we need at this time." He later confirmed to industry publication Game Developer that the studio had been shut down after NetEase decided to end funding.

NetEase initially told Game Developer that it was "actively working with the studio to find a new publishing home" and that it "could not confirm any layoffs," but the company later issued a statement saying it had made the "difficult decision" to close the studio. "This decision was made with careful consideration, as we have been inspired by our partnership with the studio and their bold vision," the...