Co-creator acquires Health & Fitness game Zombies, Run! to prevent its sunset
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Key points
- The co-creator of Zombies, Run!, Naomi Alderman, has bought the game to prevent it from closing down.
- Earlier this year, every person but two was laid off from Six to Start by OliveX, the company that bought it in 2021.
- Alderman also wrote about the purchase on The Observer, saying that she’s excited about it.
Naomi Alderman, the co-creator of Zombies, Run!, bought the game, preventing its closure. In a post published on the game’s website, Alderman mentioned that she is “delighted to be taking ownership of the game,” and that “it’s me buying back the game I made and love so I can look after it.”
Zombies, Run! is a Health & Fitness app that was developed for both iOS and Android. It was released back in 2012 and became the highest-grossing app in the category within two weeks at its launch.
The game’s troubles started when the developer, Six to Start, was bought by OliveX in 2021 after the studio’s success. Earlier this year, OliveX laid off everyone at Six to Start except for two people and said that the company couldn’t afford to keep Six to Start afloat and would be shut down if the company couldn’t find a buyer, which will eventually lead to Zombies, Run! Closing down with it.
The Verge published a report regarding the situation, including comments from anonymous Six to Start employees claiming that working with OliveX has been “agony.” The staffers also said that there were disagreements between OliveX and its owner, Animoca Brands, regarding the game’s anti-capitalist themes clashing with the parent companies’ aims of creating NFT and crypto projects. The report also claimed that there might already be interested buyers.
Since the announcement, fans of the game on Reddit are finally at ease, calling the purchase good news. Alderman wrote about the purchase on The Observer, saying that she’s excited about buying Zombies, Run! For many reasons, including her love for the game’s player base.
