Unity’s Layoffs and Company “Reset”
Unity has recently announced that it will be laying off 265 employees as part of a company “reset.” This decision comes after the termination of the ‘professional services’ section of an agreement with visual effects company Wētā FX. This move will result in a reduction of approximately 3.8% in Unity’s workforce, with roles related to the terminated agreement being affected.
Back in 2021, Unity acquired the engineering and technology division of Wētā FX for $1.6 billion (£1.2 billion). However, the recent decision to end the agreement has led to the unfortunate job cuts within the company’s workforce. Additionally, Unity is also shutting down offices in 14 locations and has implemented new remote work policies.
Unity’s interim CEO, Jim Whitehurst, confirmed that the company is undergoing a “comprehensive assessment” of its product portfolio and plans to make necessary changes to streamline its operations. This includes discontinuing certain product offerings and reducing the workforce to align with a more focused portfolio.
Furthermore, Unity has faced backlash for its controversial runtime fee, which initially would have imposed an additional fee on developers for each game install once certain income and download thresholds were surpassed. Although the fee has been revised to only affect games made using the 2024 Long-Term Support and only for developers using Unity Pro and Enterprise, it has sparked discussions within the game development community.
Overall, these changes aim to position Unity as a leaner, more agile, and faster-growing company, as stated by Whitehurst. The company continues to navigate through these transitions and aims to emerge stronger as it refocuses its business operations.
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