The Molasses Flood
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Defunct | April 1, 2025 |
| Fate | Absorbed into CD Projekt Red |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, US |
Key people | Forrest Dowling (Studio president) |
| Parent | CD Projekt |
| Website | www |
The Molasses Flood LLC was an American video game developer based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by industry veterans in 2014, the company was acquired by CD Projekt in 2021 and was absorbed into CD Projekt Red in 2025. The Molasses Flood developed independent games The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow. [1][2] It was also working on a multiplayer spinoff of the The Witcher series, codenamed Project Sirius, before the studio was shut down.[3]
History
[edit]The Molasses Flood was an American video game development studio based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 2014 by former employees of Irrational Games, Harmonix, and Bungie.[4]
The Molasses Flood's first game was The Flame in the Flood, a survival game set in a post-apocalyptic river landscape, which was released in 2016 for Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. The game received positive reviews from critics and players and was nominated for several awards.[5] The studio's second game was Drake Hollow.[4]
The company was acquired by CD Projekt in 2021. It then began working on a new game codenamed "Project Sirius" set in The Witcher universe in early 2022 in corroboration with CD Projekt Red North America.[6] The game will include multiplayer elements.[2][7] By March 2024, CD Projekt announced a significant write-off related to Project Sirius. Development on the game was rebooted and 29 employees from The Molasses Flood were laid off.[8]
On April 1, 2025, the development team was officially absorbed into CD Projekt Red and The Molasses Flood ceased to be a separate legal entity. While the developers continue to work on Project Sirius, studio leadership, such as co-founder Damian Isla, left the company.[3]
Games developed
[edit]| Year | Title | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Flame in the Flood | Windows, macOS, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| 2020 | Drake Hollow | Windows, Xbox One |
| TBA | Project Sirius (untitled The Witcher game) | TBA |
References
[edit]- ^ "CDPR lays off Molasses Flood devs after "changes" to Witcher spinoff". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Skrebels, Joe (October 22, 2021). "CD Projekt Buys an Indie Studio to Make a Game Based on One of Its Properties". IGN. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Kerr, Chris (April 9, 2025). "'The end of an era:' The Molasses Flood has been absorbed into CD Projekt Red". Game Developer. Archived from the original on April 20, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
- ^ a b West, Josh (October 5, 2022). "Who is The Molasses Flood, the developer behind The Witcher Sirius?". gamesradar. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "The Flame in the Flood". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ Shirey, J. Brodie (March 30, 2023). "CD Projekt Red Clarifies Status of Witcher Multiplayer Game Project Sirius". Game Rant. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
- ^ "Cyberpunk 2077 Will Get A Sequel, Witcher A New Trilogy, But Expect Multiplayer". Kotaku. October 4, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Gach, Ethan (May 15, 2023). "The Multiplayer Witcher Spin-Off Game Reboots, Lays Off Developers". Kotaku. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
External links
[edit]- CD Projekt
- 2021 mergers and acquisitions
- Video game companies based in Massachusetts
- 2014 establishments in Massachusetts
- 2025 disestablishments in Massachusetts
- Companies based in Boston
- Defunct video game companies of the United States
- Video game companies established in 2014
- Video game companies disestablished in 2025
- American companies disestablished in 2025