The games industry can’t get a break regarding the layoff spree. This is a trend we’ve seen ongoing for a good while now, and it’s disheartening news to hear. But with the blowback from the pandemic, it seems that studios worldwide are dialing things back. Today, we’re finding out that Deck Nine Games is the latest studio to reveal it’s laying off some of its workforce.
The news came out yesterday on Deck Nine Games’ X social media account. It was noted that Deck Nine Games is in the same situation that is hitting so many others in the games industry right now. As a result, they have made the difficult decision to dial back and remove 20% of its staff. This studio is hopeful that these talented folks will be able to land at another development team, but again, we’re seeing this trend all over right now.
This leveling off for the games industry has also hit some of the big names as well. Early this year, Microsoft announced that they were cutting back a total of 1,900 jobs from its gaming division. Then, this week, we got word that Sony PlayStation is also cutting back 900 jobs. That move even resulted in the cancellation of a few game projects and the entire shutdown of its London-based studio. So, both large and smaller studios are undergoing restructuring.
Just how long this will continue remains to be seen. We’re hopeful that this is getting to the end of these announcements of job layoffs. But we are also seeing the leveling off from the pandemic. If you recall, more people were stuck at home when the pandemic was going on, and the world was forced into social distancing. That saw a boom for the gaming industry as it prompted consumers to purchase video game consoles and games as a form of entertainment, which is likely starting to return to what we were dealing with before the pandemic.
It’s unfortunate to hear that Deck Nine Games is losing some of its employees. If you’re unfamiliar with the studio by name, then you might recall some of their latest works. While they were not behind the Life is Strange franchise, they did come in and offer some of the games for this series. Those included Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Life is Strange: True Colors and the Life is Strange Remastered Collection. Their latest release came last year, which was The Expanse: A Telltale Series.
