Yesterday, reports emerged that Virtuos, the studio behind Oblivion Remastered and Metal Gear Solid Delta, was set to lay off around 300 people. Today, the company has confirmed those reports while downplaying the effects of the firings on current and future projects.
"Approximately 7% of Virtuos' global workforce was affected, primarily in teams facing lower occupancy and slower demand due to structural shifts in the industry," the company says in a statement. "This includes about 200 roles in Asia and 70 roles in Europe, including fewer than 10 in France, where the core team working on Oblivion Remastered is located."
The statement calls the layoffs a "rebalancing of roles across our studios and geographies." Translated to non-corporate speak, Virtuos is primarily a support and co-development studio, so it's focusing on regions where most of its clients work. At least, that's how the company is framing the mass layoffs, and why they're having "a greater impact on our teams in Asia."
Virtuos notes that it's "providing separation packages, career transition assistance, and opportunities for redeployment across our global network where possible. The company's immediate focus is on managing this transition with care, transparency, and respect."
The company also "remains fully committed to all our partnerships, including ongoing work on announced titles such as Oblivion Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater."
It might seem like a bizarre time for Virtuos to go through layoffs, since Oblivion Remastered was a hit, Metal Gear Solid Delta seems poised for substantial success, and the company's work on Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.3 seems pretty well received. But as our own Austin Wood noted in his previous coverage of these layoffs, it's just the games industry's latest demonstration that hits will not spare you.
Another Xbox studio reacts to the layoffs exploding around it: with Rare's Everwild dead, Sea of Thieves dev says "it's impossible for something like this not to ripple through the studio."
