Lords of the Fallen 2 ditches developer and hits the ropes again Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Lords of the Fallen 2 ditches developer and hits the ropes again CI Games and Defiant Studios at loggerheads. News by Robert Purchese Senior Staff Writer Updated on 20 May 2019 12 comments Lords of the Fallen 2 appears to be back on the ropes again. No sooner had the game attached a new developer, Defiant Studios in New York, than we now hear the partnership has ended and the Polish company in charge, CI Games, has decided to finish the game in-house with outsourcing help. The break doesn't sound amicable. Here's how CI Games announced it in a Polish press release on Wednesday, 15th May (translated for Eurogamer by Daniel Kłosiński - thank you). "The termination of the agreement was submitted due to inadequate execution by Defiant [of] a key work stage (milestone no. 11), a so-called vertical slice. The quality of the work was lower than expected by the company, as precisely described in the agreement, despite three calls to improve the quality of this stage of work." Defiant Studios, however, doesn't agree, and was less than thrilled by the portrayal. "We categorically disagree with the portrayal of Defiant Studios made by CI Games," founder and managing director David Grijns told me. "The team that was working on CI Games' project was comprised of exceedingly talented developers whose work we fully stand behind. Our team knows how to build quality games as is evident by their key roles in Just Cause 3, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Far Cry 5, Devil May Cry (DmC) and many other top tier projects." However, he added: "As we intend to abide by our contractual confidentiality obligations, at this time we cannot expand further on this matter." As far as I know, no media has ever been released for Lords of the Fallen 2, so we have to go all the way back to Lords 1 in 2014 here. Defiant's role on Lords of the Fallen 2 was announced last summer, ending a period of development limbo for the game. The plan, when I spoke to Defiant about Lords of the Fallen 2, was to start over, leaving behind all of the pre-production work previous game-runner Tomasz Gop and team had done. CI Games finishing the game internally, with outsourcing help, will be tricky. The company fired its development team in 2017, and then People Can Fly hired them [this article previously and incorrectly said CI Games had sold its development team to PCF] - restructuring which was a consequence of Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 betting the bank and failing, initially, to pay off. But sales apparently picked up, and in early 2018, CI Games said Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 had sold 1 million copies and an internal development team was being grown to work on a new tactical shooter, which would later be announced as Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts. That game is due at some point this year. Can CI Games handle both? I am unsure. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store