Half of Bandcamp's staff let go in Epic Games layoffs

Epic Games has confirmed that around half of Bandcamp's employees were laid off after the platform was sold to Songtradr last month.

The details:

• An Epic Games spokesperson told Eurogamer that with Songtradr's acquisition of the music platform complete, a large portion of Bandcamp's staff would not be joining the new owner. "We shared with Bandcamp employees that we understood Songtradr would be extending offers to some Bandcamp employees in waves in the coming weeks," an Epic spokesperson said. Those who have been let go will also be offered severance and fall under Epic’s layoffs.
• Songtradr confirmed the layoffs in another statement to Rolling Stone, stating since Bandcamp's operating costs had "significantly increased" over the years, it "required some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans." As a result, only half of the website's workforce has joined Songtradr after the company assessed the "importance of roles for smooth business operations.”
• Bandcamp United, a group of unionized Bandcamp employees, responded to the news of the layoffs, calling the situation “heartbreaking” and stating that it plans to “return to the bargaining table with Epic Games” on Wednesday, October 18.
• Approximately 830 employees were affected by the job cuts last month, as CEO Tim Sweeney claimed that the company was still "far short of financial sustainability" despite efforts to cut costs in other areas of the business. Along with Bandcamp, Epic sold the majority of its subsidiary SuperAwesome, with the advertising division becoming independent.

More gaming news:

• Cities: Skylines 2 may launch with some performance issues, according to Paradox Interactive, as it did not meet its target benchmark. The game's console release date was pushed back to 2024 last month, but it appears that the PC version will be released as planned.
• Bethesda's Pete Hines has announced his retirement after more than 24 years with the company. The executive stated that he will now spend his time "exploring interests and passions" and "taking more time to enjoy life," but he will remain active in the community.