Queen Digital Entertainment, also known as QDE Studio, has reportedly shut down after roughly four years in operation. The closure was first highlighted by MobileGamer, which noted that the studio had not made a formal public announcement, but former employees had begun posting about the shutdown on LinkedIn.
The reason for the closure has not been confirmed, and QDE Studio’s leadership has not publicly explained the decision. MobileGamer said it contacted the studio for comment but did not receive a response, leaving the shutdown looking like another sign of the difficult funding and production climate facing many game teams.
QDE Studio was founded in 2022 by two experienced mobile gaming executives: Sebastian Knutsson, one of the co-founders of Candy Crush maker King, and Stephane Kurgan, the former chief operating officer of King. Their involvement gave the company strong credibility in the mobile sector, especially because King remains one of the most influential names in free-to-play game design.
Despite that pedigree, QDE Studio did not fully launch a game during its four-year run. The company is understood to have worked on at least four mobile titles, but those projects reportedly did not move beyond soft launch, a stage where publishers test retention, monetization, and market fit before committing to a global release.
The shutdown is notable because QDE Studio had reportedly raised around $52 million to support development. Its closure underlines how hard the mobile market has become, with higher user-acquisition costs, cautious investors, and intense competition making it difficult even for well-funded teams led by proven industry veterans to break through.