Slant Six Games confirms temporary layoffs

Vancouver-based Slant Six Games has made a fresh round of temporary layoffs. The studio didn’t reveal the number of employees affected, but those impacted will need to be rehired within 13 weeks or the termination of their employment will become permanent under British Columbia law. In the meantime they’ll retain their benefits and collect employment insurance, GamesIndustry International reports.

Slant Six said in a statement: "This necessary measure has been taken to reduce the size of our team and to decrease interim operating costs while we continue to negotiate new business. Temporary layoffs provide us with a time period to keep everyone's employment position open with full benefits. The intention is to reinstate all of the people affected when new projects or funding has been secured."

Slant Six is best know for making the SOCOM series for PlayStation platforms, as well as 2012’s Resident Evil: Raccoon City, but it has since transitioned from console development to the mobile and free-to-play market, making games such as Activision's The Bowling Dead for iOS.

The studio has previously made temporary layoffs of two occasions. The first time, in 2010, it went on to rehire all affected staff, but the second, when it cut a quarter of its 96 employees following Raccoon City’s release, it only took back "a portion".