Just Cause studio Avalanche lays off 50 people and closes two studios, including one it opened less than a year ago

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Avalanche's Montreal office has been closed

Rico Rodriguez in Just Cause 3

Avalanche Studios is shutting down its New York and Montreal offices, the latter of which was just opened in October 2023, resulting in redundancies affecting 9% of the whole company's workforce.

"Today, we regretfully announce the closure of two of those locations: New York and Montreal," reads a statement from the studio. "This means we’ll be parting ways with around 50 valued friends and colleagues, which represents roughly nine percent of Avalanchers worldwide."

Not to be confused with the Hogwarts Legacy studio Avalanche Software, Avalanche Studios is best known for the open-world action-adventure series Just Cause as well as the 2015 Mad Max game and 2019's Rage 2. The studio is currently working on the largely elusive co-op game Contraband for Xbox, promising a "co-op smuggler's paradise" and the studio's "most ambitious and spectacular game" yet. It's as yet unclear how the layoffs and closures will impact the game's development.

"Our focus is now on supporting all Avalanchers through this challenging time," the statement continues. "We’re grateful for the invaluable contributions of those leaving and remain committed to creating incredible gaming experiences for our players."

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.