- Sony recently laid off 900 employees, which impacted nearly all PlayStation studios.
- Studios like Guerrilla Games have lost 10% of their employees due to the layoffs.
- However, no projects from this studio appear to be canceled.
The video game industry is currently facing a hard time, with thousands of layoffs being announced within a single day. Sony has recently laid off 900 employees, affecting many studios and games.
The most unfortunate result of the layoffs was the cancelation of the Twisted Metal reboot. However, PlayStation’s biggest studios were also impacted by the job cuts, including Guerrilla Games. This developer has lost 10% of its staff recently.
Why it matters: Guerrilla Games has developed exciting releases and technologies for PlayStation. The studio’s in-house Decima Engine is used by the likes of Hideo Kojima, highlighting this team’s technical talents.
Dutch newspaper AD reported that around 10% of the total staff at the Guerrilla Games have been laid off. The reason for layoffs at this particular studio is unclear, but it appears to have been the result of general job cuts.
What makes this surprising is the fact that both Horizon games have performed well on the market. The franchise has sold over 32 million units since its 2017 debut. Horizon Zero Dawn is the best-selling PlayStation game on PC, while its sequel sold 8.4 million units on consoles.
Following the layoffs, around 40 developers have departed from Guerrilla Games. The studio is currently working on multiple projects based on the Horizon series, which is planned to continue for a long while.
One ambitious project is the developer’s live-service title based on the IP. While PlayStation is scaling back on live-service ambitions, this project appears to have gone unscathed.
The PC port for Horizon Forbidden West also arrives on 21st March. This should be an uplifting launch for the studio as it garners positivity for Guerrilla Games. However, cutting the team by 10% is likely to be devastating.
Like Insomniac Games, Guerrilla Games has seemingly done no wrong in the last few years. However, with PlayStation cutting jobs across the board, it appears no developer is safe from such measures.
Even Xbox laid off around 1,900 employees recently, adding to the layoff count in 2024.
Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋
How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔
[News Editor]
Obaid is pursuing a Law degree while working as a content writer. He has worked as a gaming writer for over three years because of his passion for the medium and reporting the latest updates in the industry. Having played hundreds of games, Obaid finds himself coming back to Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, and Red Dead Redemption 2, with these games being among his favorites. He has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as Wccftech, Metro UK, PS Lifestyle, GamePressure, VGC, and Gamespot.