How SoftBank’s big bet in the gaming industry is falling flat – The National

How SoftBank’s big bet in the gaming industry is falling flat – The National

Worlds Adrift is one of at least three games using Improbable technology that were pulled last year-a setback for Improbable, which promised to revolutionise gaming by helping developers create complex worlds that rival the real one.. Founded about seven years ago by Cambridge University students, Improbable is unprofitable and has only one game running on its platform.. Improbable has since lured a former Disney executive to become the new chief financial officer, is working with several other studios and is starting to develop its own games.. Company spokesman Daniel Griffiths said that it's not unusual for game developers to decide against a commercial launch after a trial period.. The company offered assistance and kept developers updated of changes in its forums and through emails, Mr Griffiths said.. Bossa Studios was Improbable's first big gaming customer to use its technology platform.. After about three years letting players test the game, Spilt Milk shut it down in September, saying the game was too expensive to continue and cited the costs of maintaining, running and updating the game as it became more feature-packed.. Big, complicated games like Mavericks are expensive to develop, and Improbable offered studios financing ranging from thousands to millions of