Avalanche Studios lays off 50 folks, closes two places

Avalanche Studios

Roughly 50 folks gain been laid off from Avalanche Studios Group, the corporate behind the Simply Trigger collection and the upcoming Xbox console unique Contraband, in response to the studio.

In an official weblog submit printed Monday, the corporate additionally introduced that it can be closing two of its 5 places: the one in Unusual York and the opposite in Montreal. It’s unclear of the precise variety of layoffs, however the submit says “round 50” employees had been affected, or round 9% of the workforce.

“That is an exceptionally tough choice, however we imagine it’s crucial to make sure a secure and sustainable future for the corporate,” the submit reads.

The studio is presently engaged on Contraband, an upcoming open-world co-op recreation printed by Xbox Recreation Studios. It was introduced throughout Xbox’s 2021 E3 showcase, however the trailer teased only a few particulars past that it takes set in a fictional Nineteen Seventies setting and is a “co-op smuggler’s paradise.” Recreation director Omar Shakir stated in a press launch that Contraband can be the studio’s most bold recreation but. There hasn’t been another official info on the recreation launched for the reason that announcement, and there was no point out of it throughout the layoff information.

These layoffs are one more hit to the online game trade in 2024. Contraband writer Xbox laid off round 1,900 employees earlier this 12 months, and simply final month, Microsoft closed various studios, together with Hello-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. It’s not recognized if Avalanche’s layoffs are associated.

Avalanche is in all probability finest recognized for the Simply Trigger franchise, a collection of action-adventure and driving shooters. The final entry was Simply Trigger 4 in 2018, which was printed by Sq. Enix. Nonetheless, the recreation didn’t carry out as much as expectations, and didn’t promote sufficient to cowl improvement prices, in response to Sq. Enix. Different current Avalanche titles embrace Rage 2 and Technology Zero (underneath its Systemic Response branding). Over 100 builders on the studio unionized final 12 months with the Swedish commerce union Unionen.