Game Over for Jez San and the Argonauts

Argonaut, one of Britain’s longest running development studios, has shut the doors of its Edgware Road head offices for the last time. The company’s administrators, Asher Miller and David Ruben issued a statement last week stating that they were ‘hopeful of achieving a sale’ of the Edgware studios but, after the large number of redundancies two weeks ago, the rest of the Edgware staff were made redundant on Friday.

The announcement closely follows Argonaut CEO and industry heavyweight, Jez San’s resignation last week and a little too closely for some to his subsequent purchase of Argonaut studios Morpheme and Just Add Monsters. There is suspicion from some Argonaut shareholders over the timing of San’s purchasing of the small studios from the administrators however no evidence of shenanigans has as yet been brought to the fore.

It is believed that the slightly Japanese sounding although not at all Japanese looking former CEO is also trying to buy assets pertaining to a signed project with Brit publisher SCi – his wallet must truly know no bounds. It can only be hoped that this and similar purchases can go some way to paying the unpaid redundancy packages and back-pay that some, less well off, former employees are reportedly owed.