The studio behind Highguard disappeared from LinkedIn. Their websites went offline. The co-founder marked that his work in Wildlight Entertainment is over. Apparently, the company is now closed.
The studio already fired most of the team right after the release but the remaining 18 people have tried to recover what's left. Now only the debt remains as even PlayStation started to issue refunds for people who sent money to this game.
8-18 people are still online regardless, they are looking at connection error screen and staying.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
The studio already fired most of the team right after the release but the remaining 18 people have tried to recover what's left. Now only the debt remains as even PlayStation started to issue refunds for people who sent money to this game.
8-18 people are still online regardless, they are looking at connection error screen and staying.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Back in 2022 Sony Acquired Oscar-Winning VP/VFX Company Pixomondo. Now it will be shut down.
The company is mostly known for VFX on TV and big screens, including The Boys and Game of Thrones, Fast and Furious, Netflix's Avatar, and dozens of other projects. Soon about 500 people will loose their jobs.
Most of the company used to be made of per-project contractors. They will complete their active projects in the next few months, but should not expect contract renewals. Some senior permanent staff will be transferred to Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX structure.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
The company is mostly known for VFX on TV and big screens, including The Boys and Game of Thrones, Fast and Furious, Netflix's Avatar, and dozens of other projects. Soon about 500 people will loose their jobs.
Most of the company used to be made of per-project contractors. They will complete their active projects in the next few months, but should not expect contract renewals. Some senior permanent staff will be transferred to Sony Pictures Imageworks VFX structure.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Epic Games just got rid of 1000 workers due to significant loss of profits from Fortnite. The company was spending too much for the last few quarters and now they will have to adjust.
In total the company is trying to cut $500m with all the measures. I assume that free games on Epic Store will also be affected.
#Fortnite@GameDEV
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
In total the company is trying to cut $500m with all the measures. I assume that free games on Epic Store will also be affected.
#Fortnite@GameDEV
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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And PlayStation is shutting down Dark Outlaw Games. The company they founded with ex-Treyarch veteran and co-creator of Call of Duty Zombies franchise Jason Blundell.
The craziest part? The company was established last March and lived just about a year. Do they know that to succeed in game industry you have to MAKE GAMES and not simply shut down every studio you have?
Jason is also a curious person: in 2022 he announced the creation of Deviation Games that was also focused on PlayStation exclusives. Then he left his own company in 2023, and then Deviation Games was eventually shut down in 2024. In total way over 100 people worked there, famous motion capture actors were there, and it was all gone without a trace.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#PlayStation@GameDEV
The craziest part? The company was established last March and lived just about a year. Do they know that to succeed in game industry you have to MAKE GAMES and not simply shut down every studio you have?
Jason is also a curious person: in 2022 he announced the creation of Deviation Games that was also focused on PlayStation exclusives. Then he left his own company in 2023, and then Deviation Games was eventually shut down in 2024. In total way over 100 people worked there, famous motion capture actors were there, and it was all gone without a trace.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#PlayStation@GameDEV
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GameDev Pulse
Epic Pays: players and industry veterans are equally mad about the financial statement. - Epic payed too much for UEFN - They lowered BR support efforts - And fired people randomly (according to my info, some crucial and very talented workers lost their…
And since it's no longer my sources but also public statements, here is the good example of what's wrong with "let's fire 1000 people" — it will be random.
Almost like Unity when they fired Ben from their shader graph team... literally the best specialist and evangelist of the whole engine.
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
Almost like Unity when they fired Ben from their shader graph team... literally the best specialist and evangelist of the whole engine.
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Eidos Montreal lost it's current boss David Anfossi (who led the company since 2013) and 124 people from the team lost their jobs as well.
- I never asked for this!
The company was NOT working on the next Deus Ex, most of the people who led Deus Ex MKD and Human Revolution parted ways with the studio years ago. Some of them made Unknown 9: Awakening, some Hell is Us, and so on — not the most commercially impressive examples.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
- I never asked for this!
The company was NOT working on the next Deus Ex, most of the people who led Deus Ex MKD and Human Revolution parted ways with the studio years ago. Some of them made Unknown 9: Awakening, some Hell is Us, and so on — not the most commercially impressive examples.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Oracle is cutting up to 30,000 employees to pay for AI data centres... And it started with a 6 AM email.
Employees across the US, India, Canada, and Mexico woke up on 31 March to termination emails from “Oracle Leadership” with no prior warning. TD Cowen estimates the cuts will affect 18% of Oracle’s 162,000-person workforce and free up $8-10 billion to fund AI infrastructure. Oracle has not confirmed the total number.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#AI@GameDEV
Employees across the US, India, Canada, and Mexico woke up on 31 March to termination emails from “Oracle Leadership” with no prior warning. TD Cowen estimates the cuts will affect 18% of Oracle’s 162,000-person workforce and free up $8-10 billion to fund AI infrastructure. Oracle has not confirmed the total number.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#AI@GameDEV
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Sadly, this is not isolated to this one company but rather a trend in the industry. It was rare before but getting very noticeable since autumn of 2025.
Companies around are running out of funds, a lot of them were on credit lines that dry out if the returns are no longer predictable.
Gunzilla lost half of its workforce in one year according to LinkedIn data. They are the company behind NFT battle royale game Off The Grid, so not a reliable place to start with.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
Companies around are running out of funds, a lot of them were on credit lines that dry out if the returns are no longer predictable.
Gunzilla lost half of its workforce in one year according to LinkedIn data. They are the company behind NFT battle royale game Off The Grid, so not a reliable place to start with.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Imagine someone put you in charge of fairly random layoffs swing which took down 1000 of jobs.
I'd leave too...
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
I'd leave too...
#EpicGames@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Unfortunately, Gang of Dragon developers' social media pages are vanishing. Even their YouTube is gone.
The studio, founded by the creator of Yakuza game series, lost the funding a few months ago. The publisher NetEase refused to provide extra $44m to complete the game and stopped financing the development since the beginning of 2026.
Instead they proposed the Devs to find a new publisher who will be ready to cover up the initial development and assets + any further operations. If so, NE would happily share the IP. Which is better than nothing but still a horrible deal.
#Business@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
The studio, founded by the creator of Yakuza game series, lost the funding a few months ago. The publisher NetEase refused to provide extra $44m to complete the game and stopped financing the development since the beginning of 2026.
Instead they proposed the Devs to find a new publisher who will be ready to cover up the initial development and assets + any further operations. If so, NE would happily share the IP. Which is better than nothing but still a horrible deal.
#Business@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Nacon publishing house was unable to find anyone who can quickly acquire studio Spiders. It was placed on sale a month ago.
Now the company behind Technomancer, Greedfall, Bound by Flame, Of Orcs and Men, and Steelrising, is going to be fully closed. The DLCs are now going to be completed and released by Nacon themselves (no, apparently, they will not due to lack of funding).
Spiders existed for over 18 years and was making soulful AA RPGs. If you missed their games completely, they were similar to Piranha Bytes but from France.
#Nacon@GameDEV
#Finance@GameDEV
#Business@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
Now the company behind Technomancer, Greedfall, Bound by Flame, Of Orcs and Men, and Steelrising, is going to be fully closed. The DLCs are now going to be completed and released by Nacon themselves (no, apparently, they will not due to lack of funding).
Spiders existed for over 18 years and was making soulful AA RPGs. If you missed their games completely, they were similar to Piranha Bytes but from France.
#Nacon@GameDEV
#Finance@GameDEV
#Business@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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GameDev Pulse
Remember MindsEye? As they promised before: here's their DLC about... "sabotage" that failed them and was "caused by a big American company who paid over 1M Euro to UK influencers and media, but also BaRB employees". The difference: IOI (aka Hitman makers)…
Build a Rocket Boy fired 170 more people and only about 80 employees left in the studio, according to Kotaku... the company still blames espionage and sabotage, not the overall mismanagement.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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After Nacon publishing house killed The Spiders (Greedfall, Steelrising, The Technomancer), they moved on to Big Bad Wolf (The Council, Vampire: The Masquerade — Swansong, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss). The company will be fully closed now. Their parent company Cyanide is also insolvent.
Kylotonn, The creators of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be hit differently: their studio will shrink from 120 to ~30 people soon. Which makes it nearly impossible to operate a live-service racing game in a reasonable pace.
#Nacon@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
Kylotonn, The creators of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown will be hit differently: their studio will shrink from 120 to ~30 people soon. Which makes it nearly impossible to operate a live-service racing game in a reasonable pace.
#Nacon@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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Spellcaster Chronicles from Quantic Dream is going to be closed. The game only made it to 1000 CCU on Steam and now holds about 20...
... NetEase, according to insights, will cease funding of the studio due to the failure of the game. Their more common story-driven projects were supposed to be funded from the success of this multiplayer.
Who's going to tell them?
Haven't they noticed yet?!
#Multiplayer@GameDEV
#QuanticDream@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#NetEase@GameDEV
... NetEase, according to insights, will cease funding of the studio due to the failure of the game. Their more common story-driven projects were supposed to be funded from the success of this multiplayer.
Who's going to tell them?
Haven't they noticed yet?!
#Multiplayer@GameDEV
#QuanticDream@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#NetEase@GameDEV
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GameDev Pulse
PlayStation acquired Bungie for $3.6 Bn in January of 2022. The studio that was earning around $200m annually and not growing. One active project, another one in pre-production. No significant IPs in their pockets, no reason to value it that high. They made…
The typical I told you so moment: significant number of Destiny 2 developers will be fired and the active development of new games is years ahead.
#Bungie@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#PlayStation@GameDEV
#Bungie@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#PlayStation@GameDEV
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PLAYERUNKNOWN Productions (Brandan Greene) is laying off most of his team. They are not related to the current PUBG and were making survival game (on a huge open map, barely working).
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#LayOffs@GameDEV
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According to Insider-Gaming (Tom Henderson), after the annual loss of over a billion euros Ubisoft is shutting down several offices around the world and shrinking down many teams, including the one that works on Rainbow Six Siege... in total, about 380 people lost their jobs during these "structural changes".
Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is still set to be released in time and the company has a lot of hopes for it. The preorders are record-breaking.
#Ubisoft@GameDEV
#Layoffs@GameDEV
Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is still set to be released in time and the company has a lot of hopes for it. The preorders are record-breaking.
#Ubisoft@GameDEV
#Layoffs@GameDEV
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XBOX was hit by the new internal announcement, stating that the profit margin of the gaming department is now at 3% (the healthy one is at least 20%). To counter that, Asha is planning the major reboot and restructuring.
About 1000 people will be fired this summer from the whole XBOX structure, according to the reports.
UPD: news outlets misinformed me — it's "down BY 3% Y2Y", not down to 3%.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#XBOX@GameDEV
About 1000 people will be fired this summer from the whole XBOX structure, according to the reports.
UPD: news outlets misinformed me — it's "down BY 3% Y2Y", not down to 3%.
#LayOffs@GameDEV
#XBOX@GameDEV
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