I'm not just saying this just because I went to go visit them last year, but the news of Take Two shutting down the Indie Built development studio just sucks. For those who don't know, IB was the development team responsible for Top Spin 2, the old Links golf franchise, and, of course, the Xbox 360 launch title Amped 3.

　　What a shame to see such a talented group of passionate individuals get shuttered by the big boys in New York City. As of now, it's unclear what will happen to the Top Spin and Amped franchises; nor do we know what this means for any possible Links sequel. Tyler and I had a great time visiting the crew in their Salt Lake City HQ last year while covering Amped 3; and it was clear they all had a huge passion for the industry. That passion showed through in the end result--regardless of its flaws, we simply haven't seen a sports game like Amped 3 before.

　　Here's hoping the core members of Indie Built can shake the dust off and re-group because, as Ryan Davis said to me earlier, "There need to be more games liked Amped 3, regardless of genre."