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Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One developer Frogwares is headquartered in Ukraine, and the team has shared a bit of what it's like to develop a game during a war.
Sherlock: Holmes: Chapter One was released on November 15, 2021, and Frogwares has just announced that not only is the M for Mystery DLC now available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, but also that Sherlock Holmes: The Devils Daughter will be released on Switch on April 7, 2022.
Frogwares is located in Kyiv, Ukraine (subsidary offices are in Dublin, Ireland), and the team has said that, "despite being embroiled in a horrendous war, the majority Ukrainian-based team managed this through external partners and a handful of remote-based staff. They are now aiming to adapt to the situation and do what they can to keep the studio semi-functioning and afloat."
"Put simply, we need to keep the studio alive and functioning to the best of our abilities now more than ever," Frogwares CEO Wael Amr said. "Nobody on the team is expected to work, only those who can and want to. Some on the team have become full-time volunteers in the humanitarian efforts around the country. Others have joined the defense forces. The rest are in various, safer locations abroad or around the country and have made themselves available to work remotely. And we continue to pay all of these people on the team.
"For those fighting or volunteering, each of their spots on the team will be waiting for them at the end of the war. But essentially it is through a collection of staff that either fled Ukraine to neighboring EU countries and those who have relocated to safer areas who are keeping Frogwares going right now. We are an independent studio with no external financing, investors, or parent company keeping us afloat.
"So it's up to us alone and through the support of our players wanting to play our games that will keep this studio alive. And as this war drags out more and more, we and people all around Ukraine are seeing that even if they are not involved in the fighting directly, they need to somehow keep things moving forward. So that when this is all over and it’s time to rebuild and restart, we are not starting from zero.”
To learn more about this conflict and how you can help, check out how other members of the games and entertainment industry are giving their support, why games and entertainment companies are pulling support in Russia, and how you can help Ukrainian civilians.
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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
