Embracer studio Misplaced Boys Interactive has undergone a second spherical of layoffs, saying in a message posted to LinkedIn that it “has made the very tough resolution to scale back our total headcount.”
“As a co-development accomplice studio, Misplaced Boys is immediately influenced by the initiatives and priorities of our improvement purchasers,” the studio mentioned within the announcement. “The necessity to adapt to shifting market circumstances throughout the videogame business has required us to reassess our operations to align with the evolving wants of our enterprise and our companions.”
Misplaced Boys CEO Shaun Nivens mentioned the choice to put off staff was “tough” and got here “solely after contemplating all different choices.”
The variety of staff put out of labor was not specified, however the studio mentioned the layoff “impacts staff throughout a number of states.” It sounds just like the cuts went deep: Former LBI artwork director Francois Gilbert known as it an “intensive layoff” on LinkedIn, whereas former lead character artist Daniel Zinck mentioned his complete crew have been let go.
Misplaced Boys Interactive was based in 2017 and has labored as a assist studio on video games together with The Quiet Man, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Diablo 4, and Homeworld 3. It was acquired by Gearbox in 2022, thus making it part of Embracer Group—Embracer having acquired Gearbox in 2021. When Embracer bought most of Gearbox to Take-Two Interactive earlier this 12 months, Misplaced Boys did not go along with it however as a substitute remained an Embracer studio.
These layoffs observe a earlier spherical of cuts that occurred in January, when an unknown however seemingly vital variety of individuals have been let go in what the studio mentioned on the time was a response to “headwinds dealing with the business proper now.” That is a reference to the devastating contraction that is wracked the business because the starting of 2023, when studio executives—just about all of whom stay employed—found out that the spike in participant counts and engagement seen through the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t really going to final ceaselessly.
