by
William D’Angelo
, posted on 31 March 2026 / 1,067 Views
Wanderstop developer Ivy Road has announced it has shut down.
“Today, we must share some bittersweet news: Ivy Road is closing its doors as of March 31, 2026,” reads a message from the studio.
“It’s hard to put into words how thankful we are to have been able to work together on Wanderstop—this is an incredible group of people! And while we had a new project, Engine Angel, that we were excited about, unfortunately the funding didn’t come to fruition and the studio had to shut down.”
Despite shutting down the developer did tease one last surprise Wanderstop is coming.
“There’s still one last surprise brewing, one we’ve been working on for the last year to help find a way for Wanderstop to reach new players. The great folks at Annapurna Interactive will be sharing more news about this in the future, and we’re looking forward to you all seeing what it is!
“The game will still be available to play and purchase on the platforms it’s currently available on.”
Read the full message below:
Hi everyone,
Today, we must share some bittersweet news: Ivy Road is closing its doors as of March 31, 2026.
It’s hard to put into words how thankful we are to have been able to work together on Wanderstop—this is an incredible group of people! And while we had a new project, Engine Angel, that we were excited about, unfortunately the funding didn’t come to fruition and the studio had to shut down.
What Does This Mean for Wanderstop?
There’s still one last surprise brewing, one we’ve been working on for the last year to help find a way for Wanderstop to reach new players. The great folks at Annapurna Interactive will be sharing more news about this in the future, and we’re looking forward to you all seeing what it is!
The game will still be available to play and purchase on the platforms it’s currently available on. If you have future requests / feedback / bugs related to the game, please reach out to help@annapurnainteractive.com.
We also wanted to be sure to share a chapter select code that can be used to help if you’re a future player who happens to get stuck in an area—or if you just wanted to experience a specific chapter or moment of the game once more.
Putting in this code will open up a “Chapter Select” that allows you to start at the beginning of one of the game’s cycles.
How to Input the Chapter Select Code?
While in Chapter Select, using the D-pad, input: UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, B (RMB), UP, RIGHT, DOWN, LEFT, UP, B (RMB), UP, DOWN, UP.
What Does This Mean for the Team and Engine Angel?
While we tried to shop the concept around and find a publishing partner, unfortunately we weren’t able to land a deal. It’s a particularly tough time for raising game funds, so while we weren’t necessarily surprised, we are disappointed that we won’t be able to bring Engine Angel to life together as a team. Liz’s concept is incredible, and we hope it may someday come to fruition!
For the team, this means many folks will be looking for work! If you’re in the position to recommend or hire developers for roles, please check out this thread on Bluesky for more info about the people on our team who’re currently actively looking for work!
THANK YOU to everyone who has supported Wanderstop and our team in any shape or form.
Making games is incredibly challenging work: it requires technical skills, emotional investment, financial investment, a whole lot of long hours, and a bit of luck and serendipitous timing thrown in.
We are so proud that we got to create something together as a team that was ultimately experienced by hundreds of thousands of players: we hope that you’re inspired to create something of your own someday, whether art, music, writing, or even a video game of your own.
Please remember to take care of yourselves—drink tea, make sure to rest, and take time to pet the pluffins.
—The Ivy Road Team
A life-long and avid gamer, William D’Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
