UPDATE: Surgent Studios has confirmed that there have been layoffs at the Tales of Kenzera: Zau Studio.
In a statement posted to Twitter, founder Abubakar Salim said that “just over a dozen people” have been affected.
“It’s a difficult time in the games industry, but we remain incredibly proud of our entire team’s work on ZAU and of the praise it has received from critics and players alike,” the statement reads.
“Our focus now is on supporting those affected, continuing our work on ZAU, and looking to the future with our next creative projects.”
ORIGINAL: Surgent Studios, the studio behind Tales of Kenzera: Zau, is the latest developer to be hit with layoffs.
The news comes via multiple LinkedIn posts from, now former, employees at Surgent.
“Well, it looks like I’m joining all the people affected by industry layoffs this year,” technical artist Jordan Smee said.
“Unfortunately, I have been affected by the layoffs at Surgent Studios,” 3D Environment Artist Joe Phillpot wrote.
Level designer Pete Brisbourne posted that, “The chapter entitled “Pete Works At Surgent Studios” is coming to a close at the end of the month.”
It’s unclear how many people at the studio are being let go. It’s also unclear as to why the layoffs are being made at this time.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau launched in April on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. As of writing, the game has a Metacritic score of 76 or generally favorable.
Insider Gaming has reached out to Surgent and studio founder Abubakar Salim for comment on the situation. Should we receive a response, this story will be updated accordingly.
What do you think of the layoffs at Tales of Kenzera: Zau studio Surgent Studios? For more Insider Gaming, read about Nintendo going after more parties over piracy of its games.
