Spiders

Spiders was a French video game developer specializing in narrative-driven action role-playing games for PC and consoles. Founded in July 2008 by former Monte Cristo developers who had worked together on Silverfall, the studio combined original game development with console porting and technical production work. Its games occupied the mid-tier, or AA, segment, with an emphasis on original settings, branching stories, character customization and combat systems.

Early contract projects included console versions of Frogwares’ Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, alongside porting assistance on Gray Matter. These assignments formed part of a business model that supported the development of the studio’s own intellectual property. Its original catalogue expanded through Faery: Legends of Avalon, Mars: War Logs, Bound by Flame and The Technomancer, spanning fantasy and science-fiction worlds.

Original worlds and action RPGs

The studio’s best-known release, GreedFall, arrived in September 2019. Set in a fantasy world inspired by the seventeenth century, it became Spiders’ defining commercial success, with the report recording more than two million copies sold. The studio subsequently released Steelrising in September 2022, combining an alternate version of the French Revolution with automaton combat. Its final major project, GreedFall 2: The Dying World, entered Early Access in September 2024 and reached version 1.0 in March 2026.

Across these productions, Spiders developed capabilities in narrative world-building, role-playing systems, real-time tactical combat and multiplatform optimization. Its production history encompassed several generations of PlayStation and Xbox hardware as well as PC, bringing together original development and technical adaptation for different platforms.

Ownership and closure

Bigben Interactive, subsequently identified in the report as Nacon, acquired Spiders in 2019. Following financial difficulties and an unsuccessful attempt to find a buyer, the studio entered judicial liquidation on April 29, 2026, ending its operations. Responsibility for remaining post-launch maintenance of GreedFall 2: The Dying World reverted to Nacon.