Developer IllFonic announced that it would be laying off its staff as it makes efforts to re-align to a refined strategy amid a difficult time in the industry.
The news was shared by CEO and co-founder Charles Brungardt who said that they had to accept the harsh reality of the industry's current state. He said that the decision was made by upper management with "the heaviest of hearts."
IllFonic's Layoffs
Brungardt added that they were making cuts to their teams despite the talent that they had within these groups. He also reached out to other studios that may be looking for additional personnel to consider taking them in.
The CEO's words stopped short of confirming just how many people were actually affected by the latest layoffs. He also did not provide any details on how exactly they plan to reshape their strategy moving forward.
It also remains unclear how the studio's recent round of job cuts will affect its development pipeline for its ongoing projects. IllFonic was founded in 2007 as an independent video game studio in Colorado and Washington, according to Games Industry.
The developer had a hand in a variety of popular tiles, such as Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game and Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed.
One of the more notable releases by the studio is Friday the 13th: The Game, which was a relative success as it sold more than 2 million copies in the first few months since launch.
State of the Video Game Industry
What makes the latest round of layoffs even more disappointing is that it comes as the holiday season is fast approaching.
The overall state of the video games industry is a result of mismanagement during the coronavirus pandemic when there was a sudden spike in interest.
The situation has somewhat become worse in 2023 and 2024 and is seen as something that is not sustainable in the long run. Many people are hoping that things could get better when next year comes around, PCGamer said.
IllFonic's Friday the 13th: The Game was eventually pulled from sale in December 2023 after the studio's license rights to the brand expired. It has since made efforts to replicate the success of the title with its other projects but has failed to reach similar heights.
There have already been about 14,000 workers who are believed to have been affected by layoffs this year alone. This goes on top of the more than 10,500 who were laid off last year, according to Eurogamer.
