A new report from Ethan Gach at Kotaku has claimed that Naughty Dog, the studio behind the hit game series The Last of Us has laid off “at least 25 employees”.
Speaking with its sources, Kotaku reports that the layoffs were down to the studio downsizing and it appears that full-time staff have not been affected. Instead, the outlet reports that no severance is being offered for those currently being laid off and employees are being pressured to remain quiet.
Affected employees will have their contracts officially terminated at the end of October 2023, it was said.
The report comes during a time when mass industry layoffs are abundant, with the likes of Epic Games laying off 16% of its employees (1000 people) last week.
A report earlier this year from Jason Schreier’s Bloomberg claimed that Naughty Dogs The Last of Us Multiplayer game has faced some setbacks and could be in trouble. The report eventually led to Naughty Dog taking to Twitter, which read, “
“We know many of you have been looking forward to hearing more about our The Last of Us Multiplayer game. We’re incredibly proud of the job our studio has done thus far, but as development has continued, we’ve realized what is best for the game is to give it more time.”
“Our team will continue to work on the project, as well as our other games in development, including a brand new single-player experience; we look forward to sharing more soon.”
We’re grateful to our fantastic community for your support – Thank you for your passion for our games, it continues to drive us.”
Insider Gaming has reached out to Naughty Dog for comment.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Team17 is facing layoffs
