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Robotoki Shuts Down, ‘Human Element” Put On Hold
When Robotoki re-revealed their zombie survival game Human Element earlier this month, what we saw in its bombastic new trailer (see below) shared little resemblance to what was originally planned to be a horror game. It’s clear that at some point, its direction was refocused to cater to a wider audience. That move, it would seem, has caused quite a bit of trouble for the developer.
In a statement sent to Joystiq, Robotoki founder Robert Bowling confirmed that their decision to turn Human Element into a “premium” game had led to a falling out with its original publisher, Nexon. When Bowling was unable to find a way to replace those lost funds, the studio was forced to close.
“We were actively negotiating a new publishing deal for the premium version of Human Element but unfortunately I was unable to continue to self-fund development until a deal was finalized,” said Bowling.
It’s too bad. I’m not too enthusiastic about the new look, but Human Element still showed promise. Hopefully they’ll be able to find a new publishing deal soon.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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