Vermila Studios, the team behind Crisol: Theater of Idols, appears to be laying employees off, with the status of the studio overall being up in the air. Employees on LinkedIn have begun announcing their departure from the studio this week while sharing the work they had done on the project and reflecting on their time with the studio. Ana Fariñas, a Lead Animator at Vermila Studios, posted (via machine translation) “After almost seven years, it’s time to close an unforgettable chapter (…) I’m deeply grateful for everything Vermila Studios has given me, but especially for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented and wonderful team.”
Other Lead and Senior staff have been posting similar LinkedIn messages this week. Senior Lead Artist Helena Sánchez García reflected on her nine years at the studio, saying: “Now it’s time to begin a new chapter. I leave with a heart full of gratitude for everything I’ve experienced, for the people I’ve had the privilege to share this journey with, and with genuine excitement for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead”
Along with the LinkedIn departures, Game Designer Raúl Pernía Alejandro announced his departure on social media. Along with announcing his departure, Alejandro stated on X (via machine translation) that the Madrid-based studio has closed. “A few months after the launch, Vermila Studios has initiated a redundancy procedure that has ultimately led to the studio’s closure and the departure of the entire team. Earlier, he said: “The project has reached the players, but, unfortunately, the studio has not been able to move forward. I’m sad about how this stage ends, but proud of what we all achieved together, both the team and all the players who created a beautiful community.”
Crisol: Theater of Idol was introduced at Summer Game Fest in 2024 as one of the first batch of games under horror film production Blumhouse and their newly formed game label, Blumhouse Games. Much like their film and television releases, Blumhouse Games has focused solely on releasing indie horror games with Crisol: Theater of Idols being the most recent. The game features a unique mechanic where every weapon runs on your blood, forcing players to sacrifice health in order to shoot blood bullets and dispose of the puppet-like enemies that have taken Hispania, a twisted version of Spain. The indie horror game released in February with an overall Opencritic of 74. You can read our review of the game here.
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