Fortis Games closes its doors after Las Vegas Sands ends funding, cutting around 440 jobs - eGamers.io
Fortis Games has closed its doors, laying off approximately 440 employees after Las Vegas Sands terminated funding for the mobile game developer.
Fortis Games announced on November 4 that it was sunsetting Twilight Towers. Seven days later, the entire studio had shut down. The mobile developer, which also created Bloom & Breakfast, confirmed the elimination of about 440 jobs in a statement released on November 10, 2026.
Funding Withdrawal
CEO Steven Chiang, who previously worked at Electronic Arts and Zynga, founded Fortis in 2022. Las Vegas Sands Corp. had bankrolled the San Francisco studio as a way to extend its casino brand beyond traditional gambling. Over four years, Fortis acquired several game studios with this backing.
That support abruptly ended. Game producer Gustavo Coronet revealed on LinkedIn that Las Vegas Sands decided to 'end funding and part ways, terminating all of the contracts, worldwide.'
Mixed Reactions
Former communications director Scott Butterworth offered a different perspective, suggesting the studio's 'community-focused' approach failed to attract enough players to sustain the business.
Despite our unique, community-focused approach to the mobile games market, we just couldn't seem to get off the ground, and today, we finally ran out of runway.
Butterworth, who lost his job during the closure while relocating to Los Angeles, noted that more than 400 talented people were suddenly out of work. Chiang's statement emphasized helping the team find new opportunities, thanking supporters over the past five years.
Industry Context
Fortis's closure follows other recent studio shutdowns, including Electronic Arts' decision to close BioWare, the developer behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Players have reacted negatively to that decision, campaigning for EA to preserve both franchises.
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