The German development studio Blankhans is closing its doors at the end of the year. Among those responsible is a former employee of Rocket Beans, whom some may know from his work in the field of Pen & Paper.
Which studio is it about? Blankhans is a German development studio founded in 2021. The first project was the implementation of a Pen & Paper series.
One of the leading minds at Blankhans is Hauke Gerdes as Creative Director. Viewers of Rocket Beans TV are likely to know him. Gerdes worked there as Community Manager and Head of Sales until 2016, and afterwards he appeared as a game master in various Pen & Paper rounds.
Particularly the projects Morriton Manor and Ultracore have remained fondly in the memory of many viewers. From the latter, the studio Blankhans created a genuine video game called “Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore.” This is a survival MMO with an open world, which already reminded many of genre peers like Valheim during its first presentation.
Unfortunately, the game was not a great success and has faced criticism from players. Now it has become known that the studio is closing at the end of the year. But what exactly happened?
From Idea to Finished Game
What is the story of the game? Since the founding of the studio Blankhans, Coreborn has likely been in development. The game was funded in 2023 by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action with an amount of around 1 million euros (via gamesmarkt.de).
About a year ago, in July 2023, Coreborn then entered Early Access on Steam. Early players tested the survival MMO and explored its open world. On June 19, 2024, Coreborn exited Early Access and was released in its complete form.
This version can now be purchased on Steam for 13.99 euros. However, the players’ voices are mixed. On Steam, Coreborn has an overall rating of 66% positive reviews, which corresponds to a “balanced” average. Recent reviews, however, are “mostly negative” and refer to the final release.
The Final Game Disappointed
Why did the game fail? A user named classic_falafel tells in a post on Reddit that he followed Coreborn throughout its development history and tested the game himself. In his opinion, the final game was “just not good enough for the masses.” Promises made by the studio were not kept. For example, Coreborn was supposed to be free-to-play initially.
The general interest was also too low, believes classic_falafel. There are hardly any videos on YouTube discussing the game. He himself is now annoyed that the game, as well as the studio, are being given up so easily. People invested money in the project and were given hopes that have now burst.
In the Steam reviews, it is mentioned that the game is boring and lacks love. If one didn’t know better, one wouldn’t think that Coreborn plays in the universe of Ultracore, the Pen&Paper template, writes Steam user Mortimer. There are also bugs and crashes, and overall, the game feels unfinished, finds Confuzed on Steam.
What does the studio say? Blankhans itself commented in a blog post on the studio’s website: “Unfortunately, we have not managed to develop a game that leaves such a lasting impression that we can continue.” Nonetheless, the developers thank the community.
In the end, disappointed players and the end of the studio Blankhans remain. Whether there will be future video game projects from Hauke Gerdes, the creative mind behind the Pen&Paper universes, remains to be seen. Another indie game also faced some issues after years of development – in this case, however, EA was to blame.
