In a rumor story appearing over at GiantBomb yesterday, it was reported that CrimeCraft developer Vogster Entertainment may have shut down. The report was quickly debunked with a sign of life by the CrimeCraft Community Manager, stating, "Hey guys, CrimeCraft is still here and so are we! There have been some changes, but it's nothing that will effect CrimeCraft except to give us a chance to make it better." As it would turn out, however, the rumor was only partially incorrect.

Vogster Entertainment has indeed made some cuts and restructured their resources, resulting in the shut down of the company's Chicago studio.

Vogster Entertainment provides some explanation in the following issued press release:

Vogster Entertainment Announces Resource Reallocation

NEW YORK, NY, September 17, 2009 – Vogster Entertainment, LLC, an international innovator in video game design, today announced a restructuring to focus its resources toward the enhancement and expansion of content for their recently launched CrimeCraft shooter-MMO hybrid. With two titles completed in the last three months, the company has made significant staffing changes as it transitions from launch team to live team in the ongoing support of CrimeCraft. Vogster’s New York-area headquarters remains fully operational and committed to the development and production of existing and future titles.

“Vogster has seen a number of releases this year. As an independent developer, we need to be very strategic in our use of available resources and shift from already launched titles to support the ongoing development and growth of CrimeCraft,” stated Daniel Prousline, vice president of development at Vogster. “We regret the necessary staffing changes and the talented employees that this impacts, but it is an unavoidable step in moving to the operational stage of CrimeCraft and optimizing for the development of yet to be announced titles.”

CrimeCraft will see a number of significant content additions in the coming year, in addition to a series of soon to be revealed updates and major announcements which will take place at an upcoming San Francisco press event.

Via GiantBomb.