Reigns developer Nerial closes after 13 years

Nerial is closing down after 13 years in business. The London-based studio, owned by Devolver Digital since 2021, announced the decision in a statement posted to social media on October 1.

"After 13 years and 11 published games, we have decided together with our partners at Devolver to end development at the studio," the studio said. The studio described the closure as entering "hibernation mode," with the team now seeking new opportunities elsewhere.

Nerial became known for the Reigns series, which launched in 2016 as a card-based strategy game where players rule a kingdom. The original Reigns has generated an estimated $6.2 million since its release. The franchise expanded with licensed spin-offs including Reigns: Game of Thrones (estimated $2.2m), Reigns: Three Kingdoms released via Netflix, and Reigns: The Witcher, which launched this year as the studio's final release and generated $191K.

Beyond the Reigns franchise, Nerial developed Card Shark, a narrative card-trick game released in 2022, and The Crush House, a narrative thriller released on PC in 2024. Several Reigns titles appeared on Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass.

Co-founders François and Tamara Alliot indicated the team will pursue new opportunities in game development. "While this marks the end of Nerial as we know it, it's not the end of game dev for us," they said in the statement. "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."

The founders did not reveal specific reasons for the closure or provide details on what comes next. According to a LinkedIn post, approximately eight people have lost their jobs as a result, including the founders. Devolver Digital acquired Nerial in 2021 after previously working with the indie studio to publish several Reigns games.