Poorly Timed Games

Poorly Timed Games was an independent game developer and publisher founded in late 2019 by Chris Wright. Based in Redmond, Washington, it operated as a distributed team with collaborators across North America. Its work focused on narrative-driven games, combining tactical role-playing mechanics with socially conscious storytelling.

The studio’s debut title, Grim Tranquility, was a science-fiction tactical roguelite about an interplanetary exodus prompted by environmental exploitation and corporate corruption. Its combat used turn-based encounters on a hexagonal grid, with permanent character death and procedurally generated levels shaping successive attempts. The project brought together strategic combat and a narrative concerned with the consequences of exploitation.

Inclusive storytelling was a central part of the game’s creative direction. Its cast included a Black transgender protagonist, reflecting the studio’s emphasis on LGBTQ+ representation within its science-fiction setting.

Debut and subsequent inactivity

Poorly Timed Games announced Grim Tranquility in September 2021 and presented playable demos at PAX West that year. It developed and self-published the game for PC, releasing it into Steam Early Access on June 1, 2022.

Following that release, regular content updates and community communication ceased. The anticipated full launch did not materialize, and industry tracking subsequently classified the studio as inactive. Its historical company domain also lapsed and no longer represents the developer. The available record therefore documents a studio whose public output centers on the Early Access release of its debut game.