Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series, has closed down
The British studio Nerial is ceasing operations after 13 years. This was announced on social media.
Reigns: The Witcher
In a farewell letter, Nerial explained that they made this difficult decision after discussions with their parent company, Devolver Digital. The studio thanked its partners and advised other teams to hire the specialists who are now out of work.
Later, in an interview with Kotaku, Nerial co-founder François Alliot shed light on the reasons behind the dissolution of the team. He admitted that a number of factors played a role, including an industry crisis and the lack of significant success for the studio's recent games. Although the original Reigns brought substantial profits, other projects failed to replicate its success. Additionally, both Alliot and his wife Tamara, also leading Nerial, felt somewhat burnt out working under a publisher's control and wanted to return to indie development.
According to Alliot, the rights to Nerial's games will remain with Devolver Digital. However, he believes that if the company ever decides to create a new Reigns game, they will reach out to him.
Nerial was founded in 2013 and developed 11 games over its lifespan. Its final project was Reigns: The Witcher — an adventure set in the "Witcher" universe, released in February 2026.