UPDATE 4:10pm ET: Since this story originally broke, new information has come to light regarding the Sumo Digital layoffs. The layoffs will be as much as 250 people based on current employment numbers. Timbre Games, one of the studios based in Canada, is being shut down entirely despite working on two unannounced games.
ORIGINAL: Just days after announcing a number of games during Summer Game Fest, British game developer Sumo Digital — the studio behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, among others — has announced that layoffs are coming to the company. The studio is set to let go 15% of its workforce, or 160 people, across five different countries.
The news of the layoffs was first revealed by Polygon’s Nicole Carpenter. It also comes just days after parent Sumo Group announced a number of new games from the company.
According to the company, the layoffs come due to “recent difficulties” that the studio has “not been immune” to. This has lead to a decision to reduce costs “in a number of ways”.
READ MORE: Dead by Daylight Dev Makes More Layoffs
Shortly after the layoffs were revealed, Sumo Digital released the following statement:
“Over the last 21 years Sumo has grown from small beginnings into a family of studios across the UK and the world, which we’re incredibly proud of.
“While we have been able to manage through many of the recent difficulties the games industry has faced, we have not been immune and reshaping operations across the business to better navigate the upcoming challenges expected in the coming months, is a path we must now take to ensure the security of the business going forward.
“The difficult decision to reduce our costs across the business in a number of ways is a direct result of these challenges, and unfortunately will include a reduction in the number of people the business can support. Every alternate route to limit the impact to our people is being considered but sadly this process of transformation will affect up to 15% of our people across the Group in Canada, UK, Poland, Czech Republic and India.
“This is an incredibly challenging process to go through for everyone at Sumo and our focus is now on supporting our people and working with our partners on their games as we move forward to ensure we emerge from this difficult time, ready for the future.”
The latest set of layoffs now puts the total known amount to roughly 10,561 within the gaming industry. The number surpasses the 10,500 known layoffs from 2023 within the first six months of the year.
Weren’t they rumored to develop the Banjo remake? Are they making it?
I don’t know why the don’t have any purchasable DLC for these games to make money. Huge L for Sumo. The game had less than a dozen purchasable or unlockable characters and not even 10 maps to play on. I actually wanted to spend money on this game but there was literally never anything worth buying. It has zero content. Now they are gonna have even less. RIP TCM.
Most asyms release with less than 1/4 worth of game content. Then expect gamers to pay them to finish the game. Getting tired.