Polish studio The Farm 51 (The Farm 51 Group S.A.), known for the Chernobylite series and the multiplayer shooter World War 3, filed for bankruptcy on April 2, 2026. The studio’s management was quick to stress that the filing is a precautionary move, not the end of the company. Under Polish law, while a restructuring procedure and negotiations with creditors are underway, a court may not declare bankruptcy, the petition is automatically put on hold.
Founded in 2005 by former employees of People Can Fly, The Farm 51’s catalogue also includes NecroVision and Get Even.
The path to this moment was set in motion by the studio’s last big bet. Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone entered early access in March 2025 and flopped, just 7,000 copies sold on Steam against a project budget of 30 million zlotys. That was followed by the layoff of 15 employees and a Kickstarter campaign that raised only $218,000, far from enough to plug the large financial hole.
The developers decided to change the concept and style of the game compared to the original, which was not well received by the community. Since then, a series of updates were released designed to rework many aspects, but reviews remained “Mixed” on Steam. In recent months, the maximum daily player count for Chernobylite 2 on Steam rarely exceeded 30 people.
The studio has already found potential partners and is negotiating with them. If everything goes well, The Farm 51 will use the funds from investors to pay off debts, restructure the studio, and continue development of Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone. Whether the game will ultimately see a full release remains to be seen.
