Deck Nine, the studio behind Life Is Strange entries Before the Storm and True Colors, as well as The Expanse: A Telltale Series, laid off 20% of its staff today.
The studio announced the news in a statement on X/Twitter today, writing, “Like many others in the games industry right now, Deck Nine has been affected by the game industry’s worsening market conditions.”
“These people are amazing, talented, and awesome developers,” the statement adds. “They have made a huge impact during their time at Deck Nine Games and we did not take this decision lightly. Please hire these people if you can, they’re amazing.”
— Deck Nine Games (@DeckNineGames) February 27, 2024
Deck Nine didn’t specify how many people that 20% equates to, but IGN understands that the studio employed roughly between 100 and 130 staffers prior to today’s layoffs.
A number of the laid-off staffers were quick to post about the news on social media. Elizabeth Ballou, who served as a Narrative Designer at Deck Nine, wrote that all workers affected by the layoffs would be getting only two weeks of severance pay, regardless of time spent at the company.
we are all getting 2 weeks of severance, including people who have worked at the studio for 7+ years.
— elizabeth ballou (@lizbetballou) February 27, 2024
Deck Nine previously went through another round of layoffs last May which, according to a statement sent to GameDeveloper.com, affected 30 people. As mentioned, the studio is best known for its work on its work on the Life Is Strange series, including 2022’s Remastered Collection, as well as The Expanse title it co-developed with Telltale Games.
As Deck Nine’s statement notes, it’s unfortunately only the latest in a long list of layoffs to hit the games industry over the past year. Just earlier today, Sony announced layoffs at PlayStation that will affect 900 staff members, or about 8% of its global workforce. Microsoft, meanwhile, is laying off a shocking 1,900 people from its video game workforce, it was revealed earlier this year. An estimated 10,000 game workers lost their jobs in 2023 alone, and this year has continued to be relentless in the industry.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
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