The game was released in 2015 following a successful Kickstarter campaign and an early access phase, and it was followed by a sequel, Hand of Fate 2, in 2017.

In July 2019, the studio was wound down due to what Jaffit called a "risky" business model and failure to adapt to changing market conditions.

[3][4] These closures coincided with a rise of indie and mobile game development in Australia, which Jaffit saw as an opportunity for a new studio.

[9][10] In April 2012, Defiant published Ski Safari, an "endless skier" game developed by Brendan Watts and Shawn Eustace.

[11] In June 2013, Defiant was assured A$650,000 of a A$6 million governmental grant from Screen Australia for independent Australian game developers, which was to be paid out over the following three years.

[1][22] Defiant continued its tradition of self-publishing and raised its headcount to 15 people, of which 40% were veteran developers, 40% intermediates, and 20% juniors.

[25] Following Hand of Fate 2, Defiant had begun developing a game under the working title The World in My Attic with a release planned for 2021.

[27] However, Jaffit announced on 23 July 2019 that Defiant would be wound down, cease game development, and enter "caretaker mode" to further support its existing titles.

In the announcement, Jaffit cited the studio's "risky" business model and failure to adapt quickly enough to a games market that had "changed in ways both big and small".