Summary

• Developer Hidden Variable Studios has ceased all work on Skullgirls due to a dispute with publisher Autumn Games.
• Hidden Variable claims Autumn Games owes $1.25 million for services rendered and breach of contract.
• Autumn Games assures fans of continued Skullgirls support, takes over development, and will expand the game’s universe.

Hidden Variable Studios, the developer of the Skullgirls mobile spinoff, has stopped development due to a dispute with publisher Autumn Games. The original Skullgirls was launched in 2012 for PS3 and Xbox 360 and became an instant hit. The 2D tag-team-based fighting game drew inspiration from Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, allowing players to control a single character or a team, providing diverse playstyles and team customization.

An upgraded version of the game, called Skullgirls 2nd Encore, was introduced for PS4 and Japanese arcades in 2015, followed by the mobile spinoff, Skullgirls Mobile, in 2020. In the past five years, Hidden Variable has maintained support for this title, assisted with platform ports for Skullgirls 2nd Encore, and contributed to the development of the IP’s webtoon.

On March 5, Hidden Variable announced that it had halted work on all Skullgirls projects and filed a lawsuit against Autumn Games in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to Games Industry.biz, the developer alleges that Autumn Games owes $1,227,308.98 for unpaid work and breached the contract.

Jason Donnell, CEO and co-founder of Autumn Games, has reassured fans on Twitter that support for Skullgirls will persist. His company will continue development on the project, with plans to expand the universe’s stories and gameplay, including a new feature called guilds, set to launch this year.