Possibility Space closed on April 12, 2024, and its unreleased game, Project Vonnegut, was canceled. Founder Jeff Strain said the publishing partner lost confidence in providing the funding needed to finish the game after a reporter’s questions raised concerns about confidential information. That explanation comes from Strain’s account; the cited reporting does not independently establish that alleged leaks caused the publisher’s decision or the studio’s closure.
What happened to Possibility Space?
Possibility Space, a studio formed in 2021 under Prytania Media, shut down before releasing its first game. On April 12, 2024, former employees publicly reported the closure and job losses. Strain’s employee email, reproduced in Kotaku’s April 12, 2024 report, said U.S. employees’ last day was April 12. Employees outside the U.S. were scheduled to remain employed through April 19, with no work obligations after April 12.
The game, known as Project Vonnegut, was canceled before release. It was never publicly revealed and did not ship, so there is no released version to buy or play. Insider Gaming’s contemporaneous report also described the game as unreleased.
Why did Possibility Space close?
Strain said he learned that Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach’s questions for a planned story about Prytania Media and the closure of Crop Circle Games contained non-public details about Project Vonnegut, the publishing relationship, internal profit-and-loss discussions, and confidential company meetings. In the email, Strain said Gach had identified current employees as sources. These are Strain’s claims; the cited reports do not independently establish who disclosed information or whether any disclosure led to the publisher’s decision.
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Strain said he traveled to meet the publishing partner to discuss the impact of the questions. As he described the meeting, the partner expressed low confidence in investing the additional resources needed to complete the game, and the two sides agreed to cancel it. Strain wrote, “During that discussion our partner expressed low confidence they would be willing to invest the additional resources needed to complete the game, so we mutually agreed to cancel Vonnegut.”
He then described the studio closure as a result of ending the publishing relationship, writing, “As a result of the cancellation of the publishing relationship and after careful consideration, I am closing Possibility Space.” This is Strain’s stated rationale, not independent confirmation that alleged leaks were the sole or actual cause. PC Gamer’s April 13, 2024 follow-up noted that Strain’s letter did not explicitly say leaks themselves caused the joint cancellation.
What did Strain say about the layoffs and severance?
Strain’s email set out different scheduled employment dates by location and said final pay and other required payments would follow local requirements. It did not guarantee severance or give a final severance amount: Strain said the company still needed to calculate its obligations and complete termination details with the publisher.
- U.S. employees: April 12, 2024 was identified as the final employment day.
- Employees outside the U.S.: April 12 began a notice period, with April 19 scheduled as the final employment date. The email said they had no work obligations after April 12.
Those dates reflect the schedule stated in the announcement, not independent proof of later payroll handling. The email’s quoted wording for U.S. employees was: “Today is your last day of employment at Possibility Space and Prytania Media.”
How many employees were affected?
No official total was reported in the contemporaneous accounts. Insider Gaming said there was no official word on the number of employees affected, so a specific headcount or percentage of the studio laid off cannot be verified from these reports.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was the later Prytania Media lawsuit about the shutdown?
A later business dispute involving Prytania Media, its owners, NetEase, and related parties is separate from the explanation Strain gave for Possibility Space’s 2024 closure. A federal court remanded the matter to Louisiana state court on September 10, 2025, dismissing the remaining federal motions as moot and leaving their possible consideration to the state court. The remand order does not establish the lawsuit’s status as of October 4, 2026, and allegations in the dispute should not be treated as court findings.
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The federal remand order establishes the transfer to state court, not that the dispute was resolved.
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