This year has been difficult for gaming industry workers, to say the least. There has been a recent influx in layoffs within companies. The long list of those affected includes Bethesda, 343 Industries, Unity, and Epic Games. Most recently, Amazon Gaming announced their layoffs, affecting another 180 positions for those in the industry. As of November 14, 2023, Digital Bros is adding to that count by laying off about 30% of its workforce.
The reason for this batch of layoffs is apparently due to the gaming market changing since the pandemic. According to Digital Bros, players are more drawn to well-established IPs rather than new ones. An excerpt from their official statement reads:
“The videogame market has evolved since the pandemic to be more selective in terms of new games, with consumers increasingly reverting to well-established Intellectual Properties and playing these same games for longer periods. Digital Bros strategy has had to adapt to this new and evolving competitive scenario and will focus its efforts moving forward on the release of sequels and new versions of previously successful and established games, with a limited number of new larger budgets productions.”
“In order to prioritize high-quality and long-standing successful titles, Digital Bros has reconsidered the number of projects under development and as such, will review the organization structure accordingly to align with the evolving competitive environment in the medium to long-term to ensure maximum operational efficiency.”
Digital Bros is the parent company for multiple smaller studios, such as DR Studios, Kunos Simulazioni, Avantgarden, Nesting Games, Supernova Games, Infinity Plus Two, Ingame Studios and, perhaps most well-known, 505 Games. With all these studios in their care (though mostly through 505 Games), Digital Bros also holds publishing rights to popular games, notably Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding for PC and Terraria.
Digital Bros’ full statement can be read on the official website here.