Take-Two is predicting around five percent growth, so what do they do? Cut staff, of course. It has now been confirmed that new layoffs are hitting Civilization developer Firaxis Games. In a statement to Game Developer, a spokesperson said the studio carried out what they call “staff reductions” on Thursday, as part of a broader restructuring.
The reason? To “optimize processes” for greater adaptability, collaboration, and creativity. Exactly how many have been let go remains unclear, but sources close to the situation claim the cuts affect dozens of employees. On LinkedIn, several developers have already confirmed their departures, including writer Emma Kidwell, senior QA tester Logan Blackwood, lead character artist Matthew Davis, and producer Maya H. Kidwell, who had spent nearly five years at Firaxis, wrote that she was among those affected and is now seeking new opportunities.
The layoffs come at the same time as parent company Take-Two is projecting growth in the coming fiscal year, despite delaying Grand Theft Auto VI until next year. The publisher still expects around five percent higher revenue and a total boost of six billion dollars, thanks to upcoming titles like Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and the newest iterations of NBA 2K and WWE 2K.
We wish those affected the best of luck in their future careers.