Firefly RPG and Cortex Plus publisher Margaret Weis quits the games industry

Margaret Weis Productions, the troubled publisher behind licensed RPGs based on Firefly, Marvel, Battlestar Galactica, Serenity, Smallville and Supernatural, as well as the Cortex game system, has decided to quit game publishing for good after 11 years in the business.

The outlet announced that it would license the Cortex Plus and Cortex Class frameworks, which have powered nearly all of its RPG titles, to Magic Vacuum, a studio founded by former Margaret Weis, Atlas, Paizo and Modiphius designer Cam Banks. Banks previously helped head up development on RPGs including Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, Smallville and Leverage.

As part of the deal, Magic Vacuum plans to launch new core rulebooks, including those for the Cortex Plus Creator Studio, beginning in 2017. The outlet said it will also develop and crowdfund new games based on the Cortex Plus system.

Meanwhile, Margaret Weis will focus on its work in fiction and film.

The news comes less than a week after two leading RPG developers, Monica Valentinelli and Matt McElroy, revealed that they would no longer be working with the publisher on the Cortex Plus rulebooks, which were originally planned to launch via a Kickstarter earlier this year and are yet to re-appear.