The Outsiders, the game studio behind rhythm boomer-shooter, Metal: Hellsinger, became one of the victims of the volatile gaming industry when Funcom shuttered the studio back in October 2025. The studio shutdown was despite some estimates putting Metal: Hellsinger sales at nearly 2 million units since its launch in 2022, and it was only a small part of the large-scale layoffs that Funcom implemented shortly after the release of Dune: Awakening. Now, The Outsiders co-founder, David Goldfarb, has said in an interview with PC Gamer that he and his co-founder are planning for a revival of the studio—which he calls "the 2.0 version of The Outsiders."

Goldfarb blames a variety of factors for the studio's closure, including everything from Covid hiring to lack of funds for investment, and even Metal: Hellsinger's sales, which he says were good, but not quite the exceptional sales figures that are needed to be successful in the current climate. So far, the revitalization of The Outsiders is still in its infancy, and Goldfarb says that even he is not sure about where the new studio will go, although he says that "we're working on something, and we're talking to people, and then if things work out, we'll be in a position to go ahead and make that, and maybe get some of our colleagues back." It's worth noting that the indie game scene is still very much alive and well, and games like Hollow Knight: Silksong and Terraria, among many others, are examples of how indie studios can succeed on creative vision and careful risk-taking, despite the current gaming climate.

Metal: Hellsinger is a first-person rhythm shooter featuring roguelike and boomer shooter elements and set to a heavy metal soundtrack with some of the metal world's biggest names. The game follows a mysterious protagonist, known simply as The Unknown, as she battles her way through the various levels of hell on a quest to regain her voice. Today, the rhythm shooter launches an additional VR version, with some interesting new VR-specific rhythm mechanics to spice things up.

Being a rhythm game, Metal: Hellsinger gives players bonuses for performing actions on-beat with the background music—which often gets quite challenging due to the fast pace and swarming enemies—but the VR version steps things up a notch, allowing you to aim the game's dual pistols individually, physically draw and release the crossbow, and actively reload the shotgun to the beat.