Following earlier reports that beleaguered game app HQ Trivia was finally shutting down for good after failing to secure funding, founder Rus Yusupov says the app may have a shot at surviving after all. Maybe.
Last week, CNN Business reported that the app was finally shutting down and laying off some 25 employees after an “offer from an established business to acquire HQ” fell through, according to a copy of an internal email obtained by CNN Business’s Kerry Flynn. Yusupov reportedly told staff in the email that despite having agreements already in place, the prospective buyer “suddenly changed their position and despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an agreement.” This, coupled with the fact that existing investors no longer wished to fund the company, was cited as the cause for the company’s sudden shutdown.
HQ CEO Rus Yusupov just sent a note to staffers (25 full-time employees): “This is one of the hardest things to do in my life, and I’m really sorry for any disruption this may cause you and our players.” https://t.co/xmVWdVIFv7 pic.twitter.com/MOWfs434m1
— Kerry Flynn ???? (@kerrymflynn) February 14, 2020
But over the long holiday—and after what sounds like an absolutely bananas (and very drunk) farewell game in which hosts reportedly threatened to shit on the porch of a troll—Yusupov said on Tuesday that he “spent the weekend on the phone finding a new buyer and do right by everyone” and that he’d identified “a company that wants to keep it running.”
“All employees, contractors and players are top priority. Severance will be paid and you will be able to cash out,” he continued. He added that the potential HQ 2.0 wasn’t “a done deal yet, but I’m optimistic. In its new home, we should expect HQ to go through some changes, especially to cover expenses, and be less buggy.”
HQ Trivia did not immediately return a request for comment about the reported deal.
If zombie HQ does indeed return, it seems the next version of the app will have a tough act to follow after the batshit final episode hosted last week. According to TechCrunch, in addition to the aforementioned porch-shitting comment, the show’s hosts popped champagne, swore like sailors, begged for jobs, and jokingly blamed the decline on the company on its healthy snacks. In addition, one host commented, “We should have unionized a long time ago.”
Hey future HQ 2.0 employees, hit us up.