The Nerial studio shuts down after 13 years and 11 published games, the British developer behind the Reigns series and Card Shark announced on October 1. Founders Tamara and François Alliot made the decision together with Devolver Digital, which acquired the studio in 2021, and they describe Nerial as entering “hibernation mode.” The studio’s final release was Reigns: The Witcher, made with CD Projekt Red and launched on February 25.
The announcement does not say why the Nerial studio shuts down. François Alliot told Kotaku that several things played a part, including industry conditions and the fact that being owned by Devolver meant every Nerial game had to suit Devolver as a publisher, while he and Tamara want to make games that don’t have to. GamesIndustry.biz reporter Chris Kerr found company filings, prepared on a going concern basis, that describe a second consecutive year of significant trading losses and a reliance on financial support from Devolver, and GamesBeat reports a six-figure loss in 2025. Devolver had also reported in April 2025 that Nerial restructured and cut its team by 40%.
Nerial was founded in 2013, and its best-known game is Reigns, released in 2016, which François Alliot pitched to Devolver as “Tinder meets Game of Thrones.” The series went on to include Reigns: Her Majesty in 2017, Reigns: Game of Thrones in 2018, and Reigns: Beyond in 2020, along with adaptations of Animal Farm, Three Kingdoms, and The Witcher. The studio also released the narrative thriller The Crush House on PC in 2024, and Card Shark is among its games.
As the Nerial studio shuts down, Devolver keeps the rights to all of its existing games, and Alliot told Kotaku he is happy to let them have it and expects Devolver to contact him first if it wants a Card Shark 2 or another Reigns. Kotaku reports that Nerial had nine people, including the founders, and the Alliots recommended the rest of the team to any studio that is hiring. They said this is not the end of game development for them and that they are going back to their roots. They plan to take a break and reflect on everything that happened before returning with a new perspective.
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