Stainless Steel Studios (SSSI) was a video game developer, started in 1997 by Rick Goodman and Dara-Lynn Pelechatz.

Former SSSI employees Bob Scott and Daniel Higgins confirmed rumors appearing on the HeavenGames Rise & Fall fan site forum.

I can't give details as to why, but I can tell you the product is in excellent shape, the team was in high morale and plowing ahead at full steam, and we were just weeks from gold disk.

Shortly after, it was learned that Stainless Steel was closed because of cuts in funding from publisher Midway Games, its most important client.

[5] Since Stainless Steel's closure, Sierra closed Empire Earth's server, so it is impossible to play online or update the game.