T-Minus Zero Entertainment, the Austin-based studio founded by former BioWare developer Rich Vogel, has shut down without even releasing a single videdo game. Founded in 2023 with backing from publisher and developer NetEase Games, T-Minus Zero was led by Vogel, a veteran of online gaming. His career includes senior roles at BioWare, Sony Online Entertainment, and Bethesda, with credits on landmark MMO titles such as Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
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The studio’s leadership team also featured experienced figures. Mark Tucker had worked on Fallout 76 and Doom, Scott Malone had credits on The Elder Scrolls Online, and Jeff Dobson contributed to Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda. With such a wide breadth of experience, expectations were naturally high when T-Minus Zero announced it was working on an original multiplayer action game set in a sci-fi universe. The closure marks an abrupt end for a team that carried decades of valuable industry experience and was developing an original sci-fi project.
According to Vogel, the team managed to create a fully playable hands-on demo that generated strong interest. However, the project was never admitted into full production. Recently, Vogel confirmed on LinkedIn that NetEase had decided to shut the studio down. He thanked the publisher for its support, saying it provided “ample runway” to reach a demo, but noted that unfavorable market conditions hampered the possibility for further development. NetEase issued its own confirmation, describing the decision as difficult. The company said it had been inspired by the studio’s vision but could not commit the resources required to continue. It added that it would help staff during the transition.
For T-Minus Zero, the closure means its first game will never see release, a result that feels like a missed opportunity given the experience and talent behind it. The move also fits into a larger pattern. In recent years, NetEase has scaled back numerous Western developmental efforts, including the closures of Worlds Untold and Jar of Sparks, as well as very recent layoffs at its Seattle-based Marvel Rivals team. The company remains a global force in the game industry, but its actions suggest a more cautious approach to Western development and investments.
T-Minus Zero’s fate also echoes that of Humanoid Origin, the studio led by former BioWare general manager Casey Hudson. That project also ended in 2024 before releasing a game, showing how even high-profile teams can struggle to survive when financial conditions tighten.
In his farewell, Vogel praised the developers he had worked with and encouraged others in the industry to connect with them. Although the studio’s project will never reach players, he described the process of building T-Minus Zero as rewarding in its own right. For the industry, the closure of T-Minus Zero stands as another reminder that even celebrated developers can see new efforts cut short, leaving their ideas behind as what-could-have-been moments.
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