I say don't sweat it. If someone takes it over then good but even if it gets dumped it is also not bad either.  How far do you want it to be developed.  It is developed now and it works fine.  Most of you would not even be scratching 1% of that synths abilities.  I know I have spent a lot of time with it already and I feel that way now.
 
All you need to do by June this year is download the latest version of the program, any sound sets that you have bought and the latest version of the presets file.  (you should have these already backed up by now but at least there is plenty of time to do it)  I am sure it can be reinstalled and used on future systems at anytime.
 
The only thing is support and I imagine there is a lot of info on it out there now and will continue to be.  What is sad is not being able to buy the sound sets you did not have or the full version of the program if you only have the player.

Jeff Evans
 I am sure it can be reinstalled and used on future systems at anytime.
 

 
Unless we're dealing with simple .dll, I would not be so sure, Jeff.
 
Dimension Pro and Rapture were two of my favorite synths, and an integral part of my workflow until I upgraded the studio computer, recently. It is impossible to install them on recent versions of Mac OS - and the reason I managed to use them until recently was that I was still on an old installation.
 
Since I already knew that before the upgrade, I rendered tracks which made use of either synth before moving to the new computer.
 
Furthermore, knowing that they were on their last miles, I hesitated to start any new projects with them for the last few months.
 
I'd hate to have to go through the same thing with Alchemy - I already use very few 3rd party synths, and having lost two of my work horses, it would have an impact on the way I work. So I'm crossing fingers that this is only a transition period. 
 

Yes Rain you have got me thinking on that one now.  It is not a simple DLL.  I would be disappointed for sure if at some stage it could not be installed.  It is one of my fave synths too.  I don't think there is anything quite like it around. (mainly loop based patches I am talking here as well) 
 
Just goes to show how the hardware in some ways has a much longer life.

 
Fortunately, Camel used a simple license file, so at least authentication won't be an issue if you have a full backup. But you can't assume it'll continue to work forever. All it takes is one propellerhead at Microsoft to make one arbitrary decision and any plugin you own could become obsolete.
 
Obsolescence is baked into the whole hardware/software ecosystem. SampleTank2 and Miroslav won't run on my new DAW because the vendor decided 64-bit support was only feasible with a brand-new product. I cannot re-install Adobe Audition on my new DAW, because it wants to connect to a now-nonexistent authentication server. And those are two companies that are still breathing.
 
Imagine, all you Waves users, if Waves suddenly went out of business and shut down their authentication server. You could only continue to use them as long as you never made any changes to nor upgraded your computer. There's even been a word coined for it: being kjaerhused. Most of you will know the origin of that word even if you haven't seen it before.
 
It's not just Waves, of course - they just have the most convoluted and fragile process. You are at risk with every product that uses a challenge-response authorization scheme. That includes popular favorites such as U-he, Fabfilter, Spectrasonics and Native Instruments. But not Camel Audio.
 
 
BTW, I think both points of view regarding piracy's impact on sales are valid. I've no doubt that sales would be higher if piracy could somehow be eliminated without draconian measures (e.g. iLok hurts sales). At the same time, I seriously doubt that any significant fraction of pirates would have paid for their booty if stealing hadn't been an option. It's a cultural thing, not new, and unrelated to the consumer's ability to pay. (Years ago, Microsoft caught the U.S. Air Force running millions of dollars' worth of bootleg copies of MS Office.) It's more about software being perceived as value-less because it's nonmaterial.
 
Either way, I don't think it has anything to do with Camel's passing. They were doing OK financially. My own (unsubstantiated) theory is that the owner (I believe it's solely owned by one person) simply decided to retire. The pending major release of Alchemy greatly enhances the value of his intellectual property, which explains the timing.
 
So who's the buyer? Everyone seems to assume that it's a major player in the music software scene such as Yamaha or Avid. But it could as easily be the Camel employees buying out their boss. Or some other UK- or EU-based manufacturer with cash in their pockets. G-Force, Tone2, or FXPansion would be good candidates, but probably aren't flush with cash.  Focusrite?

I've got several bits of software that won't upgrade to new OS etc.  I used to keep old computers around for just such stuff (Komplexer being the one I miss most).
 
At some point, unless Alchemy is picked up, it will be too much of a hassle to keep.  And it is my favorite synth and nothing does all it does in a single package (plus it is a package I am familiar with).
 
So let's hope someone is buying the company and putting Alchemy 2 or Gold or whatever it is called out w/ new libraries.  If not Gibson, then some one other than apple.
 
@

the other thing with libs is when companies don't make them backward compat.. I have that "issue" with izotope and their new version of Iris = not buying it.
 
looking at companies house it lists them as "active".. it doesn't say dissolved etc.
 

Maybe they didn't quite make it over the hump?? Could have been a dry spell? Could they have been given the hoof?....*runs away fast*

I'm thinking that any company with a limited product line is very vulnerable. How can you keep the revenue coming in when the entire company is one product?  Kind of like a guitar company that only makes one model. Eventually, those that want it, will get it, and then how do you make money?

You bring out version 6 7 8 8.5 X1 X2 X3.....

Camel was putting out libraries that apparently sold pretty well and weren't exactly cheap (not Hollow sun cheap, anyway).  That was in the meantime while they were working on Alchemy 2. 
 
But yea, you would think they might have released a few more effects, too.
 
@