Ambitious RPG from ex-Ubisoft devs, ReRoll, has been cancelled

Development on ambitious RPG ReRoll will not continue.

Ambitious RPG from ex-Ubisoft devs, ReRoll, has been cancelled

ReRoll, the game created by PixyulX, a studio made up of ex-Ubisoft developers, was pitched back in 2014 as an isometric action RPG with the goal of scanning the entire planet using HDcam-equipped drones, and using this as the game's levels.

The ambitious project sought crowdfunding through the sale of in-game items, but unfortunately it wasn't enough and as the studio struggled to secure publisher funding, ReRoll has now been cancelled.

The team announced this on Reddit a few days ago, and the studio is offering backers keys for Bios, its other game.

The lenghty letter recounts the project's troubled history, saying that things started off pretty well as the team produced prototypes and "had high hopes" for securing publisher funding, but as more and more publishers expressed disinterest, there was no money left to continue development.

"To secure meetings with top executives at the different events (GDC & E3) we were assisted by an agent that allowed us to meet and pitch to basically everyone in the business," it reads. "Publishers and investors were excited about the concept. Unfortunately, for many of them, we realised that we were either too expensive for some and not enough ambitious for others (we believed that we were crazy ambitious already!).

"We did secure a few publishers that wished to pursue the discussion. For months and months we worked on the different pitches. Working with our agent, we specifically adapted our pitches to each potential publisher. Making sure that each pitches were tailor made for our eventual partner.

"Talks were really well advanced with 2 very different publishers. One wanted to invest way more money that we initially budgeted and wanted to make ReROLL a AAA game. The other was very interested but was not willing to invest the amount we planned."

Because of this, the studio had to compromise by cutting features and removing mechanics to fit a tighter budget. But it wasn't enough, and both potential partners didn't provide funding in the end.

"During that same time, we were meeting with venture funds and investors. Again, pitching ReROLL was awesome. But this time, the crowd was very different. Most of them liked it. But we were not able to get real traction out of those meetings.

"We also applied to all the different Canadian Funding Programs we could. The most interesting is the Canadian Media Fund. The application process is not necessarily complex but it is very time consuming and of course we need to respect their guidelines. You can submit your project twice a year and all project are graded. Only the best rated receive partial funding. We were rejected on multiples occasions."

After many rejections, the team thought it had landed a publishing deal, getting verbal confirmation. But when it came time to ink agreements, the deal fell through without them knowing why.

"This is why we are officially announcing that the development of ReROLL is over. We want all of you to know that we gave our best shot and like you, we are extremely disappointed that ReROLL will not become a reality. It sucks. All of this sucks. We know many of you will be disappointed and even p**sed. We understand that. We should have been better at communicating our progress. Not to give excuses, but we were caught in the process with potential partners that wished we stayed silent on our progress."

Backers will receive emails with keys for Bios.