Yesterday and today, we talked about the studio shutdown and layoffs that happened under the Warner Bros umbrella. Three studios got shut down, some of which were still making big-name titles, like the Wonder Woman-focused title by Monolith Productions. While we fully acknowledged the tragedy that unfolded, everyone who read that story knew a sad truth: It wouldn’t be the last studio hurt in this way this year. Sure enough, Krafton has revealed that Striking Distance Studios, the team behind The Callisto Protocol, was getting hit with layoffs. However, the company framed it as the team getting “reduced in size” and that the studio would “remain operational.”
While a statement was released, on LinkedIn, multiple former members of Striking Distance Studios made it clear that there were “lots of layoffs” within the company. That included Animation Director Zach Volker, who stated:
“It was a tough morning at Striking Distance, lots of layoffs, including myself. It was a great ride and I’m so grateful for the opportunities I had to lead the charge on multiple projects and for the new relationships I’ve built. Fortunately life goes on and I’m excited about what’s ahead!”
Concept Art Director Jesse Lee added to this with their own post:
“Thinking back to the very beginning of Striking Distance Studios, to today- nearly six years later……most of the devs were laid off, and it is hard to sum it all up right now. I’m extremely proud of the work we did there and the people I worked with. Buliding up and leading talented concept art teams. Providing a vision for two beautiful games through a lot of caffinated days and nights… and with some of the most amazing and skilled artists.
Thankful for those years and eagerly looking forward to the next chapter and continued growth.”
Obviously, we wish the best of luck to those who got laid off and hope that they are able to get new jobs quickly. To that end, this isn’t the first time that layoffs have happened within the company. After their title, The Callisto Protocol, had a lackluster start at launch, a couple dozen people were let go from the company. While we don’t know the exact number of people released from the company, it says a lot that Krafton framed the situation in their statement to PC Gamer as trying to “remain agile.”
What happens next for the studio is anyone’s guess at this point, but hopefully, more don’t lose their jobs going forward.
