Key Highlights
- Firaxis Games is the newest studio to be hit with layoffs.
- The team is notably known for games like Marvel’s Midnight Suns and the Civilization series.
- This isn’t the only studio affected by Take-Two/2K Games’ layoff spree.
The gaming industry continues to be on treacherous waters as Firaxis Games becomes the latest company to lay off dozens of employees. The developer is notably known for the creation of the acclaimed Civilization series, and has been crafting real-time strategy titles for quite some time now.
The decision seems to have stemmed from the poor reception of its most recent two titles – Marvel’s Midnight Suns and Sid Meyer’s Civilization VII. The layoffs were conducted by the parent company 2K Games.
Firaxis Games Hit With Layoffs Following Poor Reception
Developer Firaxis Games has been downsized, being hit with a major wave of layoffs after poor reception of its recent titles. They are best regarded for their work on the creation of multiple real-time strategy games such as the legendary XCOM series and Sid Meyer’s Civilization VII.
Their more recent titles include the likes of Marvel’s Midnight Suns, a strategy game based on characters from Marvel Comics, while (loosely) adapting the Midnight Sons run – a team of supernatural heroes set in the Marvel universe.
Also Read: Hollow Knight Silksong Knocks Steam and Xbox Store Out Cold Within Minutes Of Launch
All three franchises have been quite popular, earning quite positive reviews and amassing a healthy number of sales. However, the parent company 2K Games seems to think otherwise, and has made the decision to downsize Firaxis Games.
As per a report from Game Developer, a spokesperson from 2K Games has reportedly mentioned a ‘staff reduction today’, with the goal of ‘restructuring and optimizing’ the studio in an attempt to boost ‘adaptability, collaboration, and creativity’.
The choice of words sounds cold and calculating, with no ounce of sympathy toward its workforce. To make matters worse, 2K Games has yet to provide details on how many were affected by the recent round of layoffs, choosing to remain silent on the matter.
As per estimate, a sizable number of workers have been let go, if we go by recent posts on LinkedIn and the social media platform BlueSky, which seems to be filled to the brim with employees mentioning the same.
Much of this can be attributed to the middling nature of Civilization 7, which currently holds a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam. Most seem to agree that Civilization 7 is a major step back for the franchise, which has tried too hard to adapt into a mish-mash of other popular RTS games, and has forgotten its own identity in the process.
It’s dreadful no matter how you look at it, and Firaxis is going to suffer a huge setback as a result of these events.
2K Games Has Also Laid off a Major Part of Its Workforce for Bioshock 4
2K Games’ recent layoffs really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The company has conducted a series of mass layoffs before, and much of this was targeted toward their much anticipated BioShock 4.
BioShock 4 is the first game in the series to not feature Ken Levine in any shape or form, being led by Cloud Chamber – a dedicated team brought about for the creation of the new BioShock game.
Also Read: Cyberpunk 2077 Is Teasing Something Major For Later This Week
This would also happen to be the second time that Cloud Chamber has faced severe restructuring, with them failing a quality assurance check for a build of BioShock 4 before. The recent cuts to its workforce seem to affect over 80 people, and hs placed Diablo general manager Rod Fergusson as the new studio head.
Take-Two has also confirmed the axing of a major part of its workforce in Cloud Chamber, and the fate of BioShock 4 remains questionable. However, CEO Strauss Zelnick has assured players that BioShock 4 will most definitely be released, but how long players will have to wait for the same still remains a mystery.
