Dillon’s Rolling Western studio Vanpool is shutting down

Dillon rolls into the sunset

Vanpool Inc. is closing its doors. The Japanese studio, known for both its support work on Nintendo games as well as its own games, such as Dillon’s Rolling Western, has announced it is shutting down.

The news was posted on the studio’s official site, saying the team has decided to disband. No overt reason was given, but the studio does express gratitude for its fans.

Vanpool was one of the studios started by former Love-de-Lic developers, alongside studios like Punchline (Chulip, Rule of Rose) and Skip Ltd. (Chibi-Robo!, LOL).

Back in 2001, Vanpool released its first game with Endonesia on the PS2. From there on, it made some fun, unique games; Dillon’s Rolling Western, for one. And there’s also the bizarre, memorable Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland.

A slight tingle

Alongside its own games, Vanpool also supported several Nintendo titles. The Kirby series (including Forgotten Land and the recently released Return to Dream Land Deluxe) dots Vanpool’s resume. The studio also contributed to Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash.

It’s a shame to see a studio like this go. It’s hard not to think of Alphadream, or the curiously quiet Skip Ltd. mentioned before, too. These studios, and their history, represent a different kind of games than we usually see. And it’s a team that played a role in Nintendo’s recent success with Kirby, too.

Hopefully, everyone involved lands somewhere new.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter – While Eric’s been writing about games since 2014, he’s been playing them for a lot longer. Usually found grinding RPG battles, digging into an indie gem, or hanging out around the Limsa Aethryte.

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