(Image credit: Pahdo Labs)
As a lifelong fan of both Sailor Moon and action RPGs, I’ve been looking forward to Starlight Re:Volver for its charming aesthetics and engaging gameplay. However, it’s unfortunate to report that its bright future has dimmed, owing to funding issues. Developer Pahdo Labs has announced the cancellation of both this project and another roguelike in development.
“Since our last update in November, we’ve been grappling with the reality that Starlight Re:Volver did not achieve the commercial success we need to sustain Pahdo Labs,” stated Daniel Zou, the studio’s CEO and founder, in a message shared on Starlight’s official X/Twitter account. He remarked, “We aimed high, spread ourselves too thin, and shipped a game that couldn’t hold a healthy player base.” According to Zou, mixed reviews coupled with a dwindling player base led investors to pull their funding, making it hard to continue with the development of their second game, Edge of Divinity. “We believed making a demo of a familiar but new game would be our best shot,” he explained. “Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to secure that financing.”
The studio, which boasted a talented team with experience from Ubisoft, Capcom, and Riot Games, saw potential in Starlight, making it a vibrant debut that many fans found appealing. Zou noted that over $17 million was raised to support their efforts. “The vast majority of those resources went into market rate developer salaries, art, and content production,” he clarified. “A little more than half that total amount went towards the development of Starlight Re:Volver. The rest went to past and experimental projects, mostly Halcyon Zero.”
Halcyon Zero served as the precursor to Starlight, pushing Pahdo Labs in a different direction for their anime-inspired action-adventure game. In closing, Zou reassured players that Starlight Re:Volver would remain playable in its current form as a single-player experience, and they’ve also made a demo of Edge of Divinity available on Steam. “This is goodbye for now,” he added.