Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Auran Studios, parent company of Auran Games, has fallen upon hard times and today is got a lot worse for the company and its employees. Under Australian rules, the company has volunteered for administration, which is similar to an American company falling into bankruptcy. All employees have been laid off, with a few possibly being brought into a new company that will maintain the game.

This news falls on the heels of a previous announcement, that basically made the game free to download and play, forever. Paid subscribers would get gold and loot bonuses, but beyond that, there is little difference between the two account types. This strategy seemed to bring into question how the company would recoup the $13 million that was spent on the development of Fury.

Auran Games just seems to be the latest casualty in a long line of online MMO developers that have not found a way to find success after release. It also reaffirms my belief that there are too many developers that want to stake the fortunes of their entire company on the back of one product that may or may not deliver.

with help from Joystiq