nDreams Confirms Restructuring and Redundancies
nDreams, a VR-focused developer known for titles like Far Cry VR and Synapse, has announced a restructuring that may result in up to 17.5 percent of its workforce being affected by redundancies.
The UK-based studio, established in 2006, comprises four teams – nDreams Studio, Orbital, Near Light, and Elevation – with a total of approximately 250 employees. This means that more than 40 staff members could potentially lose their jobs as nDreams undergoes the redundancy process.
In a statement provided to Game Developer, nDreams CEO Patrick O’Luanaigh cited the “challenging VR games market” as the reason for the cuts, stating the need for a “renewed strategic focus”. O’Luanaigh mentioned that jobs across all levels, including senior leadership positions, could be impacted.
“We are working tirelessly to support our team with the respect and care they deserve throughout this challenging process,” O’Luanaigh expressed. “This includes all our efforts to comprehensively assist those whose positions may be impacted to transition into new roles within nDreams or elsewhere.”
“Having been fully focused on VR development since 2013,” he added, “we have inevitably faced numerous challenges in establishing a modest independent studio as a leading VR game developer. The decision to let go of valued team members is undoubtedly tough, but our belief in XR gaming remains strong.”
Despite the restructuring, VR games Frenzies and Vendetta Forever, currently in development at nDreams, are reportedly unaffected. O’Luanaigh emphasized that these changes will enable the studio to “better serve current and future audiences by creating medium-defining titles for years to come.”
This news comes after nDreams’ acquisition by Swedish conglomerate Aonic for $110 million USD last November. It also adds to a year marked by over 12,500 job losses in the games industry, including Sony’s layoff of 900 PlayStation employees in February and Microsoft’s recent Xbox layoffs resulting in over 2,550 job cuts at the company over the past year.
In March, GamesIndustry.biz’s Chris Dring delved into some of the reasons behind the industry-wide layoffs observed in recent years.