A round of layoffs has hit employees at Embracer-owned developer Slipgate Ironworks and publisher 3D Realms, according to social media posts from affected individuals. The extent of the layoffs has not been confirmed, and there has been no official statement on the matter.
Both Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms are under the umbrella of Saber Interactive, which was acquired by Embracer in August 2020. The two companies collaborated on the recent release of Kingpin: Reloaded, a remastered version of Xatrix Interactive’s 1999 game, Kingpin: Life of Crime. They were also involved in the development and production of Ghostrunner.
As Eurogamer reports, employees such as lead composer Michael Markie and graphics programmer Ziyad Barakat have announced their layoffs on social media, expressing their need to seek new opportunities.
Other employees, including 3D artist Patrick Hewitt and character artist Lars Bundvad-Åmodt, have also shared similar messages, citing the impact of the layoffs at Slipgate Ironworks/3D Realms.
As of now, there has been no official acknowledgment of the situation from Slipgate Ironworks, 3D Realms, Saber Interactive, or Embracer Group. However, Embracer has been undergoing a significant restructuring program, resulting in over 900 layoffs as of the end of September. The recent closure of TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design further highlights the ongoing changes within the company.
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