The Imaginarium Studios, the UK-based performance capture specialist turned game publisher co-founded by Andy Serkis, looks to be in trouble.
As reported by MCV, the company has been bleeding cash for the past two years, and has been forced to cancel an unnamed project to stay afloat.
Imaginarium was co-founded by Serkis, the mo-cap actor best known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, and his business partner Jonathan Cavendish in 2011.
Initially, the company sought to provide motion capture services to those in the film, television, video game, and music industries. But last year the firm partnered with Creative England to enter the games publishing biz, with the aim of bringing 5 to 10 new titles to market in its first year on the beat.
As part of that deal, Creative England agreed to help Imaginarium ship out its own game based on the rebooted Planet of the Apes movie franchise.
According to MCV, that project remains on track despite the current turbulence. Although Serkis and Cavendish’s time at the helm might be coming to an end, with the pair confirming they’re finalizing a management buy-out after butting heads with investors
The company also confirmed work on its current slate of movies, which includes Breathe, The Ritual and The Jungle Book, will continue as normal. Though it’s unclear how — if at all — its game publishing plans have been affected as of yet.