Last week, a noteworthy announcement appeared on the Steam page for Quantum Lock, an asymmetric cyberspace freeze tag game released in 2015 and the first project by indie developer Fat Bomb Studios. The news was somber: Fat Bomb Studios had decided to delist Quantum Lock due to the unfortunate loss of its source code. This meant that any potential issues, bugs, or security vulnerabilities could not be addressed. The studio stated, “We do not have access to the source code anymore and cannot make any fixes or changes to the game.”
The Initial Success and Challenges
Aaron Leaton, cofounder of Fat Bomb Studios, recounted how Quantum Lock marked a significant milestone for the team. At its peak, the game attracted 10 concurrent users, mainly friends of Leaton who were testing the game. Although they resolved immediate issues and received no external bug reports, the team quickly moved on without giving much thought to long-term maintenance.
The Harsh Reality
Eight years later, Leaton revisited Quantum Lock while seeking inspiration for a new map in their upcoming game, Light Bearers 2. To his dismay, he discovered numerous issues that his experienced eyes could now easily identify. Unfortunately, the source code was no longer accessible, having been lost along with the portable hard drive where it was stored. In Leaton’s own words, “We lacked both the knowledge and resources to be able to house data on a local server or a cloud.”
Lessons Learned and Moving Forward
Today, Fat Bomb Studios employs a more sophisticated version control solution, including a local Perforce server and additional backups in two separate locations. The experience with Quantum Lock serves as a stark reminder of the importance of robust version control practices in game development.
In his closing remarks, Leaton expressed a mix of regret and pragmatism: “I did not want to have any players from our other games stray onto it and be met with disappointment.” The decision to delist Quantum Lock on Steam serves as a cautionary tale about the necessity of preparing for the unforeseen in the ever-evolving landscape of software development.