Bend Studio, identified for Syphon Filter and Days Gone, has reportedly laid 40 staff, 30 p.c of its complete workers, in response to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. It follows the cancellation of the developer’s stay service undertaking earlier this 12 months, with Sony promising the studios wouldn’t shut however not saying something about layoffs.
Schreier reveals that the studio has been “spinning up a brand new undertaking” since. Regardless of additionally having its stay service undertaking cancelled on the identical time, Bluepoint Video games reportedly isn’t seeing layoffs.
The cancellations occurred after Sony re-evaluated its stay service initiative. Naughty Canine cancelled its standalone The Final of Us multiplayer title in December 2023 to concentrate on single-player video games (together with the upcoming Intergalactic). SIE London would shut down in February 2024, and its live-service fantasy title was cancelled.
Harmony would additionally launch final 12 months and massively fail, with Firewalk Studios closing shortly after. Bungie’s Marathon and Haven Studios’ Fairgame$ have additionally had troubles, with studio founder Jade Raymond leaving the latter for unknown causes.
