In a stark reminder of the challenges facing independent game development, Three Fields Entertainment, a studio founded by veterans of the acclaimed Burnout series, has announced it may have to close its doors. The future of the studio and its recently released game, Wreckreation, hangs in the balance following a critical loss of publisher support, placing its entire staff at risk of redundancy.
The Announcement of Potential Closure
Fiona Sperry, CEO of Three Fields Entertainment, delivered the difficult news to her team and the public in early December 2025. In a statement, she announced that the entire staff had been placed on notice of potential redundancy. Sperry described the decision as one of the hardest of her career, coming after twelve years of building the studio. The core issue, as outlined, is financial sustainability. The studio revealed it has been self-funding operations for most of the year and all post-launch development for Wreckreation, as their publisher, THQ Nordic, has withdrawn both enthusiasm and financial backing for the project. Without this crucial revenue stream, Sperry stated the studio "simply cannot sustain the studio in its current form."
Studio Background:
- Name: Three Fields Entertainment
- Founded: 2014
- Key Founder: Fiona Sperry, former Studio Director of Criterion Games (Burnout series).
- Focus: Arcade-style racing and destruction games, considered a spiritual successor to the Burnout series.
- Previous Titles: Dangerous Golf (2016), Danger Zone (2017), Danger Zone 2 (2019), Dangerous Driving (2019).
Wreckreation's Troubled Launch and Legacy
Wreckreation, an ambitious open-world driving and world-editing sandbox game, launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in October 2025. The game aimed to blend the high-speed chaos of Burnout with creative track-building elements. However, its release was hampered by technical issues that drew criticism from players. While Sperry praised her team's dedication in working to fix these problems and deliver requested features post-launch, the game's commercial performance appears to have fallen short. This situation is not unprecedented for Three Fields; their 2019 release, Dangerous Driving, was also met with middling reviews, criticized for feeling like an unfinished prototype of a Burnout successor. The studio's earlier titles, like Dangerous Golf and the Danger Zone series, also struggled to find a significant audience, establishing a pattern of promising concepts hampered by execution or resource constraints.
Wreckreation Game Details:
- Genre: Open-world sandbox driving game with real-time world editing.
- Launch Date: October 2025.
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
- Key Features: Blend of Burnout-style racing and Trackmania-inspired course creation.
- Post-Launch Issues: Technical problems at launch; team worked on fixes and community-requested features.
- Planned Final Update: Crossplay functionality, scheduled for release before Christmas 2025 at the studio's own expense.
A Final Plea and a Testament to the Team
In a bid to potentially attract a new investor or partner, Sperry publicly shared a video showcasing the post-launch content and features the team had been developing for Wreckreation. This includes a crossplay update, which the studio has committed to releasing at its own cost before the Christmas holiday in the United Kingdom and other regions. Sperry expressed hope that publicly demonstrating this ongoing work might "show that potential and perhaps an opportunity could still emerge." Regardless of the outcome, she intends the video to stand as a testament to the team's vision, passion, and skill. This move highlights the precarious position of independent developers who often rely on a single project's success and the continued support of their publishing partners.
The Broader Context of Publisher Relations
The situation underscores a critical vulnerability in the developer-publisher relationship, especially for smaller studios. Three Fields Entertainment's fate became tied to the strategic decisions of THQ Nordic, which is itself owned by the massive Embracer Group. When a publisher shifts its focus or loses confidence in a project's long-term profitability, the developer can be left in an untenable position, even if the team is actively supporting and improving the game. The studio's statement points to a disconnect between their ongoing development efforts and the publisher's willingness to fund them, a scenario that raises questions about risk, support, and the lifecycle of live-service games in a crowded market.
Critical Reception of Previous Titles:
- Dangerous Driving (2019): Scored 5/10 from Wccftech, 62 on Metacritic. Criticized as a "rough early prototype" with bland tracks, frustrating AI, and a lack of features.
- Dangerous Golf & Danger Zone Series: Described as underperforming commercially, with "mixed" reviews on platforms like Steam.
An Uncertain Future for a Passionate Studio
As of early December 2025, the future of Three Fields Entertainment is uncertain. The staff remains in limbo, awaiting a potential rescue that may not materialize. The planned Christmas update for Wreckreation will proceed, offering a final gift to the game's community. The story serves as a sobering case study in the games industry: a team with a storied pedigree and clear passion for arcade-style driving games repeatedly struggled to translate that vision into a commercial hit, ultimately facing collapse when external support evaporated. The legacy of Three Fields may ultimately be one of unfulfilled potential, a reminder of how difficult it is to capture lightning in a bottle twice.