A brief update on the developing situation as it pertains to the reported Valve layoffs that took absolutely everyone by surprise yesterday, though a significant one: Gabe Newell, the man in charge at Valve, has released a statement that addresses the situation.
The statement, issued to Engadget, claims that his company has not stopped any planned hardware initiatives:
"We don't usually talk about personnel matters for a number of reasons. There seems to be an unusual amount of speculation about some recent changes here, so I thought I'd take the unusual step of addressing them. No, we aren't canceling any projects. No, we aren't changing any priorities or projects we've been discussing. No, this isn't about Steam or Linux or hardware or [insert game name here]. We're not going to discuss why anyone in particular is or isn't working here."
When asked by numerous parties, Valve representatives continue to neither confirm nor deny the layoffs, despite plenty of evidence that shows that many who were once there are not anymore.
As noted before, it's hard to believe that key members of the Valve hardware team have been excused, especially since 2013 was going to be the year for the company, with the pending release of the Steambox.
And after the initial bombshell came additional reports to indicate that the layoffs weren't just centered on hardware, but software as well. A number of longtime contributors to various games, including various character designers and animators have also been supposedly let go.
Even a director of business affairs has been laid off. Again, apparently. At this point, it's anyone's guess as to what's happening at Valve. We will continue to update the situation as it develops.
