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Micheal Douse, head of publishing at Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, has reflected candidly on the current state of the video game industry and described the ongoing wave of mass layoffs as "an avoidable f***-up." It comes in a recent interview with gaming newsletter Game File, where Douse said that “it’s incorrect to believe that huge companies are run necessarily by incredibly intelligent people that have the means to do the right thing all the time.” He argued that many game development companies “definitely don’t have to” fire staff. “None of these companies are at risk of going bankrupt. They were just at risk of p***ing off the shareholders.” This is in response to a year that has been marked by widespread layoffs across the video game industry, including a reduction in quality assurance (QA) contractors at Nintendo of America and the total shuttering of PlayStation London Studio to name two recent high-profile examples. Douse attributed some of the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 to the fact that Larian, as a privately held company, is not beholden to shareholder demands and explained that he believes this will not change any time soon. “Going public might give us more money, but it would be antithetical to the quality part of what we're trying to do. So it wouldn't make our games better. It would just make us rushed.” He later suggested that the development of a sprawling game like Baldur’s Gate 3 might be incompatible with the usual expectations of AAA video game development, which often begins with careful consideration of timescales and budgets. “If you asked us what Baldur's Gate 3 would look like, how much it would cost and how it would feel three years ago, I wouldn't know. We just took it day by day.” It’s clear that this approach has paid off though, as Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of the most well-received and commercially successful games of last year. In our detailed Baldur’s Gate 3 review we described it as “a fine contender for one of the best video game RPGs ever made” and highlighted its complex characters and excellent writing. You might also like... Our guide to the best RPGsHow my evil Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough has haunted meOur recent Lucas Pope interview View the full article

Many of Best Buy's Geek Squad employees have received an email regarding the 'work from home' initiative and their employment status. View the full article

After switching to its financial reporting structure, Intel discovered it made a $ 7 billion loss last year, resulting in the need to cut costs with the expectation to control operating costs and achieve profit for the foreseeable future in its foundry and product businesses. View the full article

Supermassive Games has announced that it’s entering a consultation period as part of a reorganization, which it anticipates will end in staff layoffs. In a statement shared to Twitter / X today, Supermassive referred to the wider challenges that the games industry is currently facing, and noted that “we aren’t immune to this.” It added that “many efforts” had been made before this decision to “avoid this outcome,” and that the decision hasn’t been made lightly. “It’s no secret that the games industry is currently facing significant challenges, and unfortunately we aren’t immune to this,” the statement reads. “After much deliberation and with deep regret, we are therefore undertaking a reorganization of Supermassive Games. As a result, we are entering into a period of consultation, which we anticipate will result in the loss of some of our colleagues. “This is not a decision that’s been taken lightly, with many efforts made to avoid this outcome.” A statement from Supermassive Games. pic.twitter.com/9GkgIrYQvtFebruary 26, 2024 See more It went on to acknowledge how “unsettling and difficult” the process will be for its staff, and confirmed that the company “will be working closely with all those involved” to make sure that things are conducted “as respectfully and compassionately as possible.” Supermassive will continue to focus on its strengths, as well as its upcoming games to ensure that the company remains sustainable, it said. At the time of writing, Supermassive Games hasn’t publicly stated how many people it expects could be affected by this, but it’s been reported by Bloomberg that around 150 members of staff are at risk, with roughly 90 expected to be laid off. TechRadar Gaming reached out to Supermassive for clarification, but was not provided with further comment. Supermassive Games is best known for its work on horror games such as The Quarry and The Dark Pictures Anthology series. For more spooky titles, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best horror games and best indie horror games. View the full article

It’s been reported that staff at 2K-owned studio Visual Concepts Austin have been hit with layoffs. This comes via a LinkedIn post published late yesterday (February 6) by former art manager Brad Bowling (via Game Developer), who stated that “a group of very talented developers” have been affected. “Well... the games industry bloodletting continues,” Bowling wrote. “Today Visual Concepts Austin laid off myself and a group of very talented developers. I have had a great time over the past couple of years working with some of the finest game devs in the industry. Over the past 23 years of making game art, I have seen some downturns but nothing like this.” At the time of writing, neither 2K nor Visual Concepts Austin have publicly verified that layoffs have occurred, but TechRadar Gaming has reached out to 2K for comment, and we will update this story if we receive a response. Visual Concept Austin, by its own description, “works on almost everything [Visual Concepts has] got: NBA 2K, WWE 2K, LEGO 2K Drive, and other projects that help propel the company forward.” Although we’re only at the start of February, 2024 has already sadly been full of reports of layoffs from across the games industry. Last week, it was confirmed that the Devolver Digital-owned studio Artificer is laying off 28 employees, while last month, staff cuts were announced by Dead by Daylight developer Behaviour Interactive, Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games, and more. Elsewhere, huge staff cuts were announced in early January by both live-streaming service Twitch and game software development company Unity. Over 500 members of staff were affected at Twitch, while around 1,800 (approximately 25 percent of the workforce) were impacted at Unity. If you’re looking for some new games to play, you can find some top-notch recommendations on our lists of the best PS5 games, the best Xbox Series X games, and the best PC games. View the full article

The number of tech layoffs since 2022 is constantly rising. Why is this happening?View the full article

A number of employees at the Embracer-owned studio Lost Boys Interactive have reported on LinkedIn and Twitter / X that they've been laid off from their jobs. The studio, which is owned by Borderlands developer Gearbox Software (a subsidiary of Embracer Group) previously assisted with the development of games including Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and Diablo 4. At the time of writing, neither Lost Boys Interactive nor Embracer have released an official statement confirming the matter, and it’s not clear how many people have been affected. TechRadar Gaming (TRG) has reached out to Embracer and Lost Boys Interactive for comment, and we will update this article if we receive a response. As Aftermath reports, a producer at Lost Boys Interactive, Jared Pace, was one of those who took to social media with the news. On Twitter / X, Pace wrote: “Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Lost Boys Interactive announced today it was letting go of some of its team, including myself. Please reach out if you know of someone in need of a producer or really any position. Looks like many disciplines and [experience] levels were affected.” Producer Kevin Eckstein shared a similar post, stating that he was also impacted by layoffs, and added: “Lots of talented people are now looking for work.” Senior game systems designer Travis Thompkins wrote: “Getting laid off is never fun, but I've survived this before... I'll survive it again. Shout out [to] my team at Lost Boys Interactive; to those who got let go with me, and those who remain. We made some gnarly stuff.” Last year, an enormous number of staff at Embracer-owned studios were laid off as part of a wider restructuring move. As of the end of September 2023, over 900 people had been impacted, but this number rose further before the end of the year with layoffs reported at Fishlabs, Slipgate Ironworks, and 3D Realms. TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design was also closed in December. Back in November, Embracer’s interim chief strategy officer, Phil Rogers, described the mass layoffs as an “agonizing process” but said that restructuring is “how we win.” He added that “it's a necessary thing for us to hit our new and needed goals.” Expand your gaming library with more fantastic games with our picks for the best PC games, best PS5 games, and best Xbox Series X games. View the full article

The CEO of streaming platform Twitch, Dan Clancy, has publicly spoken about the company’s recent layoffs, and revealed that right now, “we aren’t profitable.” This came during a community chat hosted on Twitch yesterday (January 11). Clancy stated: "We've implied this before, where we say we need to run it sustainably, but I'll be blunt: we aren't profitable at this point. Amazon has been extremely supportive of Twitch and a big thing for being sustainable over time is ensuring that we don't lose money.” It was confirmed on January 10 that the company is laying off over 500 people. At the time, Clancy said that “it has become clear that our organization is still meaningfully larger than it needs to be given the size of our business.” He added: "This decision, while incredibly difficult and painful, is necessary to ensure that we can continue to serve our streamers sustainably without impacting their ability to support their careers on Twitch.” Back to Clancy’s livestream, and the CEO reiterated his confidence to users of Twitch that “we’re still going to be able to service your needs.” “We’ve very focused on continuing to grow Twitch, and continuing to make Twitch the place it has been for so long,” he explained. “I want to be clear that we still have more than enough resources, we are still a reasonably sized organization. We’re still going to be able to service your needs, we’re still going to be able to improve the product. “We won’t be able to do as much as we would have done before, but I think we’re still going to see a lot happening in [2024] that you’ll be very excited about. [...] Our focus is on making Twitch the best place to live stream, the best place to build communities.” This week, it was also confirmed that both Unity and Discord are making large staff cuts, with Unity laying off around 1,800 people and Discord laying off 170. Looking for some new games to play? You can find some fantastic recommendations on our lists of the best PC games, best PS5 games and best Xbox Series X games. View the full article

A number of staff at Bossa Games, the UK game studio behind the Surgeon Simulator games, I Am Bread and more have recently been impacted by layoffs, it’s been confirmed. Daniel Nye Griffiths, who led global communications at Bossa Games from early 2023, revealed in a LinkedIn post before the end of the year that his team had been “closed down as part of a significant change in the studio's size and structure.” He noted: “Unfortunately, independent games studios and publishers are particularly vulnerable to the conditions that have been impacting the tech industry.” He continued: “There are several excellent former Bossians across several disciplines - including marketing, but also QA, IT, production, development, finance and HR - who will also be looking for work in the New Year. I would recommend anyone with staffing needs should check them out, and I'm very happy to make introductions and recommendations to any recruiters reading this.” The studio is currently working on the co-op survival adventure, Lost Skies, which was announced last May, and is set to be published by Humble Games. Wrapping up his post, Griffiths wrote: “I'd also like to wish everyone at Bossa the very best, and all good wishes as they keep working to make Lost Skies a great experience.” At the time of writing, it’s not been publicly confirmed exactly how many members of staff have been affected by the layoffs. TRG has reached out to Bossa Games for comment, and will update this article if we receive a response. Sadly, 2023 was fraught with redundancies within the games industry. Fortnite developer Epic Games announced enormous staff cuts in September 2023, with around 830 people affected. There were also numerous layoffs at studios owned by Embracer Group as a result of the company’s restructuring program. As of the end of September, 904 people had been affected, but this number rose higher before the end of the year with cuts at Fishlabs, New World Interactive and more. Free Radical Design, the studio behind the TimeSplitters series, was confirmed to be closed in the middle of December. If you’re looking for some excellent new games to play, be sure to check out our lists of the best indie games, as well as the best indie horror games for some recommendations. View the full article

Intel cuts hundreds of positions at its Folsom and Santa Clara sites. View the full article

A number of employees at Embracer-owned developer Slipgate Ironworks and publisher 3D Realms have reported on social media that they’ve been impacted by layoffs. However, it’s not currently clear how many people have been affected, and there's been no official confirmation or messaging yet. Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms are both subsidiaries of Saber Interactive, which was acquired by Embracer in August 2020. The two developed and published the recently released action game Kingpin: Reloaded - a remastered version of Xatrix Interactive’s 1999 game, Kingpin: Life of Crime - and before that helped develop and produce Ghostrunner. As Eurogamer reports, several employees have now stated that they’re looking for new work and opportunities, including lead composer Michael Markie, who tweeted yesterday (December 14): “For Christmas this year, I got laid off! If anyone is looking for a level designer or audio please hit me up!” A few hours later, graphics programmer Ziyad Barakat posted: “Last night I was laid off from 3D Realms / Slipgate Ironworks and now I must undertake the journey of looking for new opportunities.” Similar messages were posted today (December 15) by 3D artist Patrick Hewitt and character artist Lars Bundvad-Åmodt, the latter of whom noted that “like many others I have been affected by the layoffs [at] Slipgate Ironworks / 3D Realms.” At the time of writing, the situation hasn’t been officially acknowledged publicly by Slipgate Ironworks, 3D Realms, Saber Interactive, or Embracer Group. It’s worth noting, however, that Embracer has been carrying out a large-scale restructuring program this year, which - as of the end of September - had resulted in over 900 people (or around five percent of the workforce) being laid off. This number has since risen - just this week, it was confirmed that TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has been closed. Looking for some brilliant games to play over the holiday period? You can take a look at our recommendations for the best PS5 games, the best Xbox Series X games, and the best Nintendo Switch games for some solid options. View the full article

League of Geeks, the development studio currently working on space strategy sim game Jumplight Odyssey and turn-based political strategy game Solium Infernum, has announced cuts to over 50% of its workforce. That includes the entire Jumplight Odyssey team, putting the early-access game’s development on hold indefinitely. The news was announced in a statement posted to Twitter / X by League of Geeks co-founders and directors, Trent Kusters, Blake Mizzi, and Ty Carey. “Rapidly rising operation costs,” as well as “a weakening AUD, poor early access sales, and the unprecedented withdrawal of funding opportunities across the industry” were blamed for putting the studio “in a position where we could no longer afford to cover development costs.” They added: “We are devastated to be in this position, and we have done everything in our power to avoid it. We are so very sorry.” We’ve got some unfortunate news to share, folks. A thread: pic.twitter.com/hDjlrkKtdVDecember 5, 2023 See more Furthermore, in an update posted on the Jumplight Odyssey Steam page, Kusters described the process of “saying goodbye to many of our closest friends” as “traumatic.” He clarified that the team doesn’t want this to be the end of the game: “If investment in the project becomes a reality, and the conditions exist where it is financially possible for us to boot this game back up, we absolutely will. The grim reality however, is that at least for right now, it’s a very scary time (economically) for indie developers of our size.” It was also confirmed that in an effort to “give back” to the team who worked on Jumplight Odyssey, “for the next 12 months or until development is resumed, whichever comes first, half of our profit from every copy sold will be distributed to our team (including those whose employment was impacted).” As for the studio’s other ongoing project, Solium Infernum, the already-announced February 14, 2024 launch date apparently won’t be affected by the layoffs. The same goes for the ongoing support of League of Geeks’ fairytale board game Armello. Looking for some new game recommendations? You can find some fantastic pics from smaller developers in our roundups of the best indie games, as well as the best indie horror games. View the full article

HakJak Studios has been shut down due to "restructuring" and layoffs at publisher TinyBuild. Yesterday (December 5) it was reported (via Eurogamer) that publisher TinyBuild, best known for its Hello Neighbor series, had been hit with layoffs, specifically three studios located in Serbia. At the time, it was stated that between 10 and 30 percent of each studio had been affected. Employees were reportedly not informed in advance and were, instead, pulled into one-on-one meetings where they were given the news and let go. However, today (December 6), it's been confirmed by former employees that HakJak Studios has been shut down amid the layoffs, with some taking to social media to share the news. "Unfortunately, HakJak Studios has been affected by the 'restructuring' and layoffs at TinyBuild -- our studio has been shut down effective immediately," said producer Amanda Farough on LinkedIn. "To say that I'm devastated is an incredible understatement. "I'll be posting portfolios, resumes, and lots of love for each of my colleagues. This team, this studio, has been such a bright light in a very challenging year (both personally and professionally) and I'm heartbroken to not be shipping our game. I love this team with every fiber of my being." HakJak Studios was working on Pigeon Simulator, a "physics sandbox roguelike" before it was shut down. The game had yet to receive an official release date but was expected to launch on PC. Former narrative director at HakJak, Colin McInerney, also took to Twitter to say, "TinyBuild is shutting down HakJak Studios today. I've been in this industry for over 8 years and it was genuinely the greatest team I've ever worked with. "I love making video games. I hate how this industry operates. Looking for work in narrative/tech design." A trading update from TinyBuild details more about the restructuring effort, with CEO Alex Nichiporchik citing "weak demand for video games and the sudden reversal of market dynamics that had favored us over the previous years" for the publisher's struggles, before ending his statement by commenting on the job cuts. "It's physically painful to part ways with colleagues after all the good work they put into the company," Nichiporchik said. "The only reason to justify this decision is that the company has entered a pivotal stage and I am committed to do everything I can to ensure we get through this tough period. We owe it to all our stakeholders now to bounce back and deliver on what tinyBuild can achieve." For more, check out our list of the best PC games, along with our picks for the best Xbox Game Pass titles. View the full article

New World Interactive has been hit with layoffs amid Embracer Group's restructuring program. The studio, which is owned by Saber Interactive (a subsidary of Embracer Group) is arguably best known for its work on tactical multiplayer shooters Insurgency and Insurgency: Sandstorm. While one Twitter post shared yesterday (December 4) by Second Wind Group co-founder and content director Nick Calandra (ahead of the official announcement) suggested that the studio could be facing permanent closure, as Eurogamer reports, Saber has since clarified that this is not the case. Instead, it called it a "restructuring". “Saber can confirm there have been restructuring changes involving our New World Interactive subsidiary," the statement reads (via Eurogamer). "This reorganization has unfortunately resulted in layoffs at the studio." Furthermore, it added that the company is "working to fill existing open roles" within Saber with employees who have been affected by the job cuts, and those impacted are also being offered severance packages. The publisher also clarified that development will continue on its team-based first-person shooter, Insurgency: Sandstorm, "as well as unannounced future projects." At this time, it's unclear how many New World Interactive employees have been affected, but the studio is one of many owned by Embracer Group to be impacted by job cuts this year. This latest string of layoffs, including the most recent 50 job cuts at the German studio Fishlabs, is part of Embracer Group's ongoing restructuring program, which has resulted in over 900 people being laid off as of the end of September 2023. According to Embracer Group’s interim chief strategy officer, Phil Rogers, the restructuring is "how we win". He added that the mass layoffs are "agonizing” but “a necessary thing for us to hit our new and needed goals." For more, be sure to check out our list of the best PC games, as well as our list of the best FPS games. View the full article

In this week’s #TheLongView: Meta’s enforced hybrid work plan is failing badly, and Meta makes more layoffs. View the full article

In this week’s #TheLongView: A new Linux kernel drops and layoffs at Amazon Web Services point to trouble. The post Linux 6.3: What’s New ¦ AWS Layoffs are a Worry appeared first on DevOps.com. View the full article

Well over one-third (37%) of respondents to a recent industry survey reported that recruiting developers with the needed skills would continue to be a challenge through 2023. More than 2,000 developers and IT professionals participated in the Infragistics survey from December 2022 to January 2023. The survey also found developers and IT professionals are just […] The post Despite Tech Layoffs, Developer Shortage Continues appeared first on DevOps.com. View the full article

In this week’s The Long View: Wipro fires 300 for moonlighting at competitors, Python has a nasty 15-year-old bug, and companies are finding new ways to lay people off without calling it a “layoff.” The post Wipro Fires 2-Job Staff | Python Bug from 2007 | Lite Layoffs appeared first on DevOps.com. View the full article

In this week’s The Long View: Twitter is in a “non-redundant state” thanks to a hot summer, AI is likely to eliminate us, and Patreon fires 80 staff amid nasty allegations. The post Heat Cooks Twitter DC | AI Will Kill All Humans | Patreon Layoffs, CSAM Claim appeared first on DevOps.com. View the full article