Don’t Nod, Quantic Dream and a lot of other “well-known” studios are set to receive layoffs, it is claimed.
French journalist SylvainTrinel took to Twitter/X to claim that the current situation at Xbox is only the beginning of a massive spree of layoffs owned by publishers, including Life is Strange developer Don’t Nod and Detroit developer Quantic Dream. He termed the state of affairs as a “catastrophe.” “What’s happening with Microsoft is just the beginning of a massive bloodbath for studios owned by publishers,” he said. “Don’t Nod, Quantic Dream, but also a lot of layoffs expected in many very well-known studios. It’s going to be a catastrophe.”
Furthermore, the journalist cautioned that the situation at id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, and BioWare is also far from encouraging, hinting at future layoffs. “If Microsoft really interests you, I’d take a look—if I were you—at what’s going on at ID Software, Bethesda Studios, but also BioWare,” he stated. “The echoes I’ve been able to pick up tonight are far from encouraging. This is really just the beginning.”
As for Ubisoft, the journalist mentioned that the publisher has parted ways with the studios that were the easiest to let go of. He warned that it will very soon be necessary for the company to find funds to finance its other 17,000 employees, suggesting that it may also be at risk in the future.
When asked about PlayStation and sales of Marathon and Saros having a possible effect on Bungie and Housemarque, he pointed towards the month of July, but not necessarily for the mentioned studios.
Recently, Obsidian Entertainment co-founder Chris Avellone mentioned hearing that Xbox first-party studios previously considered “safe” from layoffs would be facing uncertainty after the recent announcement of a business reset. “Apparently, MS studios who had been told in the past that layoffs wouldn’t affect them are getting a different message now after the recent announcements – formerly “safe” studios now are telling employees they aren’t sure how the management changes will impact the studio,” he said. “Lot of uncertainty, even with studios who have had steady releases under MS.”
