Ismail and Nijman announce the end of Vlambeer

The end of a Vlambeera?

Vlambeer, from the Dutch for flame (vlam) and bear (beer) literally means flamebear. Which sounds cool.

But to a lot of people, Vlambeer also means indie video games. The micro-studio, which comprises Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman, has produced some massive indie games, including Super Crate Box, Nuclear Throne, Ridiculous Fishing and Luftrausers.

But all things must end and, on Vlambeer’s official Twitter account, Ismail and Nijman today announced that, on its 10th birthday, Vlambeer is no more.

Today marks Vlambeer’s 10th anniversary, which is way longer than we could've ever imagined. We had a beautiful run, made incredible games, and worked with amazing people, but it is time for new things. So we're announcing the end of Vlambeer. pic.twitter.com/jZ4dMGxNV2

— Vlambeer (@Vlambeer) September 1, 2020

Ultrabugs, Vlambeer’s last game (that is currently in development) will still be coming out. A prototype for FFFLOOD, a game which never saw the light of day, has also been made available for people to download and play for free.

“We are also looking into options for further support for some of our earlier games,” the statement continues, “but we just can’t promise anything besides that there will be no new games.”

“It’s not a sad day for us, but the happy conclusion to a whirlwind decade filled with screenshake. It feels like we’ve achieved what we set out to do – as a studio, as a voice, and as individuals, and we are extremely grateful for these past years.”

“Thank you all for letting us bring back arcade for a while. Love, @tha_rami &@jwaaaap.”

This isn’t the last we’ll hear from the pair – Nijman is currently working on Disc Room, while Ismail devotes much of his time to advocacy work, public speaking and events – but it might be the last time we see them as a pair. At least, for a while.

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