Firaxis Developer Layoffs Confirmed by 2K, Total Affected Employees Reportedly in the Dozens
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Key points
- Development studio Firaxis, responsible for Civilization 7, faced layoffs.
- Publisher 2K confirmed the staff reduction, citing the layoffs as part of a restructuring effort to optimize the development process.
- The total number of affected employees is not yet confirmed.
Firaxis, the Civilization VII development studio, faced layoffs affecting an undisclosed number of staff. The layoffs were confirmed by publisher 2K, citing the staff reduction as a part of a restructuring effort to optimize the development process.
“We can confirm there was a staff reduction today at Firaxis Games, as the studio restructures and optimizes its development process for adaptability, collaboration, and creativity,” 2K spokesperson told Game Developer in an exclusive story.
The media outlet reports that dozens of workers were impacted by the layoffs, but no exact number was given. Game Developer sources those close to the situation.
On LinkedIn, numerous developers have begun announcing their layoffs from the studio. Many are posting intending to find new employment opportunities, while encouraging others to “keep an eye out” for their former colleagues, who were also affected by the layoffs.
Civilization VII received criticism from the playerbase, indicated by its “Mixed” Overall Steam rating with over 23,713 users as of writing having provided input. The game also suffers from a comparatively low player count when considering the title’s predecessors. In regard to the online peak of concurrent players, Civilization VII has 84,558, while Civilization VI features 162,657, and Civilization V has 91,363.
