Reigns developer Nerial closes after 13 years under Devolver
Nerial, the studio behind swipe-based card game Reigns, is shutting down after 13 years and 11 games, the studio and owner Devolver Digital have confirmed.
Nerial, the studio behind the Reigns series, is closing. The studio and its owner Devolver Digital announced the decision in a joint statement on X on 1 October 2026.
"After 13 years and 11 published games, we have decided together with our partners at Devolver to end development at the studio," the statement said. About eight people are losing their jobs, including founders Tamara and François Alliot. The founders said they plan to keep making games after taking time to reflect, but gave no details of future projects and no reason for the closure.
The Reigns games
Reigns, released in 2016, has players rule a kingdom by swiping left or right on cards. The simple format became a mobile hit and spawned several spin-offs. AppMagic estimates reported by Mobilegamer.biz put the revenue at:
| Game | Estimated revenue |
|---|---|
| Reigns | $6.2m |
| Reigns: Game of Thrones | $2.2m |
| Reigns: The Witcher | $191k |
The studio also made Reigns: Three Kingdoms, released through Netflix, and the 2024 PC game The Crush House. Several Reigns titles were also offered on Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass.
Devolver Digital had published several Reigns games before it bought Nerial in 2021 for an undisclosed sum. The report doesn't say what will happen to the existing Reigns games now that the studio is closing.
Why it matters
Reigns showed that a card-based game can work on mobile when one swipe is the entire control scheme. Losing the studio that created it is a reminder of how tough things are for small premium developers, even when they have a well-known series behind them.
Source: Mobilegamer.biz
