Campfire Cabal, the THQ Nordic studio formed by veterans of the Expeditions series, has made a surprise return after being presumed shut down during Embracer Group’s sweeping 2023 restructuring.
In a newly published update, the studio revealed that despite earlier reports, it never fully ceased operations. While the majority of the team was let go as part of Embracer’s cost-cutting measures, a smaller core group continued working behind the scenes on an unannounced title. That project, it turns out, is the next installment in the Expeditions franchise.
“We are finally ready to reveal that Campfire Cabal was never shut down,” the studio shared in a candid blog post. “Though we did have to say goodbye to many of our colleagues, the studio survived, and a compact team continued the project we had started in 2022.”
That project is now moving into full production, having received official approval by the end of March 2025 to expand operations. The blog also confirmed that the team quietly supported Expeditions: Rome with patches throughout 2024, despite the lack of public communication following their reported closure.
The update reflected on the broader industry turbulence, pointing to the widespread studio closures, project cancellations, and job losses that have marked the past few years. “It’s been a rough couple of years in the game industry,” the team acknowledged. “We are extremely grateful that there were people within the group who fought to keep us alive through the turmoil.”
Campfire Cabal was originally unveiled in September 2022 under THQ Nordic, with a team built around the creative legacy of the Expeditions series. Less than a year later, in August 2023, parent company Embracer initiated a major internal overhaul, forcing THQ Nordic to shutter the studio. At the time, Campfire Cabal expressed hope on LinkedIn that their journey wasn't over, and that belief has now proven well-founded.
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