UK publisher Treefrog Games, home of Age of Steam designer Martin Wallace, to close

Treefrog Games, the British publisher founded by Age of Steam, Brass and A Few Acres of Snow designer Martin Wallace, has announced that it is shutting its doors.

The outlet’s first game was 1999’s Mordred – it later went on to produce titles such as A Study in Emerald, Doctor Who: The Card Gane, London and the Discworld spin-off Ankh-Morpork.

Treefrog’s last game will be the upcoming A Handful of Stars, of which just 2,500 copies will be available in early 2017.

Wallace added that he has sold the rights to the sci-fi area control strategy title’s core mechanics and systems onto Fantasy Flight,  “who may or may not print a new version at some time”.

According to Wallace, A Handful of Stars represents “the final game in an unintended trilogy” completed by its spiritual predecessors A Few Acres of Snow and Mythopia.

“It has been a struggle to keep Treefrog going for the last few years,” Wallace said of Treefrog’s slow demise. “The games market has become increasingly crowded with new releases and as a small company we have found it difficult to compete. I have decided that it is better for me to focus on my core strength, which is game design, and leave matters of production and marketing to others.

“There will be plenty more ‘Martin Wallace’ designs in the future, they will just lack the Treefrog logo.”