Sure thing! Here’s a version that aims to hit that 0% mark:
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So, Zynga just decided to pull the plug on Echtra Games. Yup, the folks behind Torchlight 3. Kind of a shocker? Maybe, maybe not. I mean, big companies do these “realignment” things a lot, right? Anyway, here goes the story: they confirmed to IGN that this San Francisco place is shutting down, all in the name of some “strategic realignment.” Fancy words.
So, Echtra — there’s a tale there too. Founded by Max Schaefer, the same guy who co-started Runic Games and the original Torchlight duo. Does 2012 feel a million years ago to anyone else? Max split from Runic in 2016, started fresh with Echtra, and it was tied to Perfect World, who pushed out Torchlight 3 in 2020. That feels like yesterday and forever ago at the same time.
Then Zynga swoops in during 2021, buys Echtra, but doesn’t tell anyone for how much. Mysterious, right? Perfect World still clings to Torchlight 3, just for clarity. Echtra was busy with some secret cross-platform RPG. Also, they dabbled with CSR Racing and that Star Wars: Hunters project which, let’s be honest, hasn’t been all smooth sailing.
Zynga’s representative jumps in, saying – yeah, tough call here, shutting down Echtra and stopping development on future stuff. It’s all about refocusing resources and whatnot. I guess they’re trying to do it respectfully, treating impacted employees right. That’s the silver lining, maybe?
Anyway, feels like another chapter closed. Something about the whole tech world just keeps spinning, doesn’t it?
