NaturalMotion is potentially facing layoffs in the UK and US studios. An unknown number of roles are set to be impacted by these changes, but once again in the gaming industry we’re having to report on people unfortunately losing their jobs.
Gamesindustry.biz reports that cuts have already begun, and NaturalMotion’s studio in Birmingham, UK, which focuses on racing games, may have already shuttered its doors. While Gamesindustry’s sources report this, though, Zynga – the company that owns NaturalMotion – remains vague.
“An important part of connecting the world through games is being committed to operating efficiently. As part of this effort, we have made the difficult decision to review our UK and US operations, which may impact a number of roles in the US and UK,” reads a statement from Zynga. “Importantly, we do not anticipate any disruptions in service to our players during this transition, and we will work closely with affected employees to ensure they are treated with the utmost consideration, respect, and care.”
So, it does confirm that roles will be affected, but not how many or in what divisions. We’ll just have to wait and see as more information comes out, but again the cold, ruthless job cuts are out for gaming roles.