Dillon's Rolling Western & Kirby Developer Vanpool Shuts Down

Shoot, now I'm getting flashbacks to Alphadream's bankruptcy. Proof that if Nintendo doesn't own you, they really won't help you.

Thanks for all the memories!

Aw.... 😟
I'm glad I already have the physical copy of Dillon's Dead Heat Breakers 3DS PAL version.
Maybe I will give more time to continue my previous progress.

Always sad to see a developer go. I wonder what this means for the Kirby series

That sucks. I really liked The Last Ranger, it was one of the stand out games on the 3DS for me. It was a bit stressful at times but it was very satisfying to survive each round.

This is sad to hear, I love their dillon series. I've always dreamed the series would make a return on switch, guess I should put that idea to rest for now

Dang, makes me glad I picked up the Dillon games before the 3DS eShop shut down. Looks like we won't see the franchise return for a long time if ever.

@MikeP - In all honesty, though; Nintendo isn't obligated to help anyone they don't have leverage for a return with.

They are also seeking financial upkeep, and licensing to everyone they ever worked for all the time isn't going to help them.

Which sucks, Dillon's games were awesome for what they were. Hoped for a Switch port long ago.

Dillon is probably dead now, which really sucks but isn't too surprising as it has always been one of Nintendo's smallest franchises. I assume most of the Vanpool devs are going to end up joining HAL or Nintendo.

Really shocked at how sudden this was. AlphaDream's death was more predictable given their failed internal projects, financial struggles, and severe lack of technical prowess (they had little to no experience in HD game development or even 3D modeling). On the other hand, Vanpool never reported any financial issues, worked as a co-developer on a very successful franchises in Kirby, and were technically equipped for modern game development.

I always thought freshly pickled was a joke game, but ended up being really good once I played it.

This is a shame. The Dillon games, specifically the third one, are really solid games. I would’ve liked to see them expand the series onto the Switch, but I guess that’ll never be.

That’s too bad. Not my favorite of Nintendo’s studios but they did good work.

All good things come to an end but for every end there is a new beginning. Hopefully we see Dillion on other platforms that is if Nintendo doesn't own the IP.

That's a shame. I'm starting to think Arzest might be the next casualty.

Too bad, hopefully all of the developers will make their way to other studios. I grabbed both games on the 3DS before it closed shop, have yet to play them. But I'm sure I'll enjoy them. Thanks for the future memories I suppose.

Not what I wanted to read when I saw the Dillon thumbnail! All the best to all the people affected by this, I hope everyone lands on their feet.

Who's gonna develop Tingle's Switch game now?

It is a shame but I suspect a lot of the small devs dedicated to portable games are finding it difficult to transition to the Switch.

Between the technical aspects, there is also the fact that it is difficult to position those AA games. You can't put them in the 50-60-70 euro range or you'll get another Sushi Striker situation. But even at a price of 20 euro you now have a much more difficult competition due to the deluge of indie games coming every week on Switch.

Hoping the best for the employees.

This is very sad as I have all of their Tingle games and enjoyed them greatly. They're talented devs and I hope they get jobs in similar studios soon

As a fan of the Dillon series, this is disappointing to know, it probably means that series is left in the dust now...

Hopefully the employees find work again soon if they need it.

Sigh, another one bites the dust. I enjoyed both the Tingle and Dillon games.
Here is hoping for the best for everyone going forward.

@Serpenterror: Pretty sure Nintendo fully owns the IP. The only way right now I can see anything new with Dillon coming is if most of the original devs moved into Hal and/or Nintendo, but that feels like something they would have shared in their goodbye statement.

Sadly I didn’t get any of the Dillon games on the 3DS before it shut down. And while it’s probably just not gonna happen I hope we get something like a Dillon collection for the switch. (Preferably one that’s not 80 dollars😉)

@MikeP I don't think owning something counts as helping them anyways. If you're friend needs a few grand, and you're like "No, but I'll buy half of you for that much", that's not really helping that's just ukeeping up your possession.

@Paraka @Poodlestargenerica Good points both. I'll admit I can't attest to the financial troubles Vanpool was going through already.
Nintendo's relationship with third — and in the past, second — party studios has often been shaky, so when a closure like this occurs my judgment is colored a bit. But there are much worse cases of that in game history, and not just with The Big N.

@MikeP Yean no I get your point too, they were working on a first party game recently but are now shutting down. Hopefully the devs are just cashing it in for a house.

Bummer news! Love both the Dillons Rolling Western games. Team had heart. So rare in todays games.

@MikeP - Of course Nintendo fans will feel personally dejected by this. The closure, in a way, directly effects if (or when) we get another X game. This can only be seen as having less games in development. That is understandable, especially when Nintendo has massive *catalogues" of unused IPs.

I really love Dillon's Rolling Western; one of my favorite "hidden gems" (compared to the overall gaming community). With their closure and the 3DS eShop dead I fear this because one of those things where it can never be ported/sold again due to rights issues.

That is a shame. They have some quality titles notched in their belts but even that can't save them from shuttering. Their talent will be missed.