Crypt of the NecroDancer developer Brace Yourself Games hit with layoffs
by Danny Craig
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Brace Yourself Games
Indie developer Brace Yourself Games has confirmed that it has made significant job cuts, with reports of half of the studio being let go.
The details:
- The layoffs became public after former senior producer Crystal Savin tweeted that she had been laid off after only four months with the company. According to Savin's tweet, 50% of the studio's workforce was directly impacted, implying that approximately 20 employees were let go as a result of the decision. Although no specific numbers were provided by the developer, both studio founder Ryan Clark and director of communications Madeleine Gray retweeted Savin's tweet, with former UI designer and programmer Ben Humphries responding to Game Developer's report with "It's true.”
- Brace Yourself Games confirmed the layoffs in a statement to PC Gamer, saying that the company decided to let go of "a portion of the company's staff," but that the decision was "not made lightly." The studio also confirmed that it would provide severance packages and additional support to those affected, as well as "address the impact on [its] remaining team members.”
- Despite the significant staffing change, Brace Yourself confirmed that the development of Crypt of the NecroDancer's Synchrony DLC, spinoff Rift of the NecroDancer, an unannounced project, and future Phantom Brigade content will continue, and that "full support will also be provided for titles being published by Brace Yourself Publishing.”
Recent industry layoffs:
- FaZe Clan, an esports organization, has announced the layoff of 40% of its workforce as it attempts to boost its profitability. According to the company's LinkedIn profile, it had up to 200 employees at the time of the announcement, with up to 80 affected by the decision.
- Former Deviation Games employees revealed that a large portion of the studio's workforce was laid off earlier this month, with sources claiming that up to 90 people were directly affected. It's also been reported that Sony has canceled an upcoming project with a $50 million budget.