Multiplayer game and live streaming gaming platform Noice is closing down.
Despite raising $21 million in 2023, CEO Tuomas Rinta wrote in a statement posted to LinkedIn that while the news wasn’t “a surprise to anyone in the company,” he wanted people to be proud of “what [they’d] built.”
“Last Monday, I went in front of the team at Noice and had to deliver the message I had hoped that I wouldn’t have to, to tell them that the story of Noice is coming to an end,” he wrote. “It wasn’t a surprise to anyone in the company, as we’ve been openly discussing the tough fundraising market we’re in, but of course we wanted to be hopeful until the end that we could deliver a positive outcome and our story would continue.
“My journey at Noice is a shorter one than many others, who have been building this platform for over five years […] In these moments, people go through many emotions – disappointment, frustration, even worry as loss of your job in this market can be scary. But I also told people that I hope that there is one emotion that we feel that once we get through this dark moment and look back at what we built, and that’s pride.”
Chairman and co-founder Jussi Laakkonen also shared a statement on LinkedIn, saying writing the words “Noice is shutting down,” “stings like hell.”
“Today is one of those days that I never want to have. But the days, weeks, months and years leading up to this day are full of extraordinary moments that I will cherish, because I got to again be part of a fantastic startup team building truly incredible and ambitious stuff,” Laakkonen added.
Rinta closed on thanking his colleagues and “personally vouching” for every one who has been made redundant.
“We’ll be putting together a list of names and roles that people are looking for. If you are hiring, feel free to reach out to me directly and I can put you in touch with people from the team,” Rinta concluded.