The studio that brought us the recent Destroy All Humans! 1 and 2 remakes, Black Forest Games, has reportedly laid off about 50 employees. According to Kotaku, the layoffs were announced on January 24, and more details will be provided next week.
Game Informer has reached out to Black Forest Games for additional information and will update this story as more details emerge.
Kotaku reports that, according to its source, creative directors and most, “if not all,” of the managers at Black Forest Games will retain their positions following the layoffs. With approximately 110 employees as of last year, the reported 50 job cuts would result in a roughly 50 percent reduction in staff at the studio.
Last August, THQ Nordic, owned by Embracer Group, revealed that Black Forest Games was developing a game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novel, The Last Ronin. It remains unclear if these layoffs will affect the development of this project.
The layoffs at Black Forest Games add to a series of disheartening 2024 layoffs, which have totaled more than 5,500 in the first 25 days of the year. Major companies like Microsoft, People Can Fly, Riot Games, and others have been affected, and last year saw over 10,000 people laid off in the games industry or game-adjacent industries.
Previous Layoffs in the Games Industry
In January of last year, Microsoft reportedly laid off 10,000 employees during its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which was completed in October. Striking Distance Studios and other prominent developers underwent major layoffs throughout the year, further highlighting the impact of such decisions on the industry.
Future Ramifications
The games industry will undoubtedly experience the reverberations of these layoffs for years to come. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by these layoffs and closures.
[Source: Kotaku]