Destroy All Humans developer Black Forest Games reportedly cutting 50% of its workforce
It has been reported that Black Forest Games, best known for its remakes of the first two Destroy All Humans! games, has laid off half of its staff due to Embracer Group’s restructuring program.
The details:
According to Kotaku sources, over 50 employees have been laid off at the Embracer-owned studio, accounting for roughly half of its workforce. Management is said to have announced the layoffs internally on January 24, but plans to share additional information next week.
It is claimed that the studio's creative directors and the majority "if not all" of the managers will keep their jobs, but it is unclear which departments have been affected so far. Kotaku also reports that employees have already started posting about the layoffs on social media.
The German developer was founded in 2012 and acquired by Embracer's operating group, THQ Nordic, in 2017. Moving away from its own IPs, which include Giana Sisters, the studio has developed remakes of Destroy All Humans! 1 and 2 and is currently working on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game based on the grittier The Last Ronin comic.
Other recent Embracer layoffs and closures:
Elex and Gothic developer Piranha Bytes has responded to rumors of its potential closure, stating that while it is in a "difficult situation," it is confident that it will find a new partner and continue to exist.
Lost Boys Interactive, the co-developer of Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, was hit by layoffs earlier this year, affecting an unknown number of employees.
Free Radical, the developer of TimeSplitters, closed its doors in December 2023 after reopening only two years earlier to work on a new game in the shooter franchise.
