As the year 2026 continues, layoffs continue to impact the gaming industry. And now, a new set of layoffs has been officially announced on May 12 via LinkedIn, this time by the developers of Metroid Dread, MercurySteam. The reasoning behind this set of layoffs is due to the company initiating a “workforce adjustment process.” It is unclear how many employees were impacted by the layoffs. It is only known that it is happening. They also stated that this type of thing is becoming common, but it is still a painful situation.

Layoffs are starting to become synonymous with the gaming industry at this point, and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon; it’s always the employees who have to pay for poor decisions inside the companies. It’s unclear why these layoffs occurred at MercurySteam, and the timing, coming before their new game, Blades of Fire, releases, is very strange. The studio had this to say about the layoffs: “While this is something common within the production cycles of our industry, it is nonetheless a difficult and painful situation. We want to express our deepest respect, gratitude, and support for the people affected, whose talent, effort, and commitment have been an important part of the studio’s history.” It’s terrible that these employees have been laid off, but a little silver lining in this situation is that the studio is looking out for the devs and will help them get another job if companies reach out.

It can’t be stated enough that the fact that layoffs are becoming so common nowadays isn’t a good thing, and the fact that nothing is changing is no good. Some studios have been attempting unionization, or have been good since it’s helping secure devs’ jobs so they can continue to not only make games but support their families. These layoffs also don’t look good for MercurySteam, as this comes after the accusation that the studio is facing for allegedly fostering a toxic work environment. These types of news are always such a downer and hurt the industry, as they could scare off potential devs from joining and help create a fantastic game. So, for now, we can only hope for more change and more job security in the industry.