Humble Games, a video game publisher known for popular games such as Slay the Spire, Signalis, and Unpacking, has decided to reduce its team by 36 employees. The company stated that the decision was made to ensure stability for its ongoing projects and to provide continued support for its developers. However, the company has also assured that the affected employees, including its development partners, will be supported during this transition.
A senior quality-assurance analyst at Humble Games, who was impacted by the layoff, took to social media to express the respect and visibility she received during her time at the company. She suggested that senior executives and business leaders in the video game industry are primarily focused on profits and business, neglecting the developers responsible for creating popular products. She appeared to lament the fact that developers bear the brunt of these decisions while publishers reap the profits.
This year, numerous video game studios and companies have downsized their teams, resulting in thousands of job losses. Microsoft’s gaming division laid off about 2,000 team members, followed by similar actions from Unity, EA, Riot, PlayStation Studios, Take-Two, and many others. Several studios have also shut down, including Tango Gameworks, PS London, and Arkane Austin. Before the January 2024 job cuts, Microsoft Gaming employed approximately 22,000 people. Interestingly, the layoffs at Microsoft’s gaming division occurred shortly after Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard in a $69 billion deal in October 2023, which was considered the largest acquisition in the gaming industry.
