As the gaming industry prepares for its awards night, rampant layoffs continue to wreak havoc on the fun pastime. The latest casualties are reported to be a group of 99 employees of WB Games Montreal.
Radio-Canada says (via Game Developer) that many of the laid-off employees were subcontractors for Studio Keywords, a company that provides technical and creative services for game companies. Keywords that work in ensuring the quality of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
Speaking of which, the layoff coincided with Rocksteady’s announcement that it would stop supporting the Suicide Squad game on January 14. (Montreal’s WB Games helped develop the game.) The game launched last February, giving it the indignity of sitting out less than a year earlier. its publisher pulled the plug. The upcoming Season 4 Episode 8 will be the last.
In accordance with GamesIndustry.bizone laid-off worker told French-speaking Radio-Canada that they were given 8 weeks’ notice before being terminated. WB Montreal is said to have given them a choice between joining the waiting list for upcoming projects or getting help from a careers consultant. However, the source said the company does not expect the registry to have any opportunities until 2026. That’s not much of a choice unless someone has savings to burn.
This news follows recent layoffs at Ubisoft, Xbox / Activision Blizzard and… The gaming industry is expected to generate more than $187 billion in 2024, an annual growth of 2.1 percent.
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