According to sources, independent developer CING, the creator of Little King's Story, Hotel Dusk, and Another Code, filed for bankruptcy in Japan last week. While this marks the first time anyone has mentioned the company's money problems, lackluster sales of their imaginative and critically acclaimed Nintendo titles can't mean good things for the company or its small group of employees.

This is, obviously, sad news for fans of the company, and another nail in the coffin for any developers who consider staying loyal to Nintendo, instead of spreading multiplatform wings to the Xbox and PS3 as well. It doesn't technically mean the company is gone for good, as there have been times in the past where bankruptcies have lead to buyouts by larger developers and publishers, but there's no word yet on if anyone has been shopping around CING's headquarters. On that same note, we don't know what this means for the Hotel Dusk sequel, which has already been released in Japan. We'll keep our fingers crossed it doesn't end up getting lost in translation like so many other games, and be sure to check back for more news as it develops.

[Source]