Relic Entertainment recently announced that it was splitting from parent company Sega and going back to being an independent studio, but with that shake-up has come unfortunate upheaval, with the developer joining the ever-growing list of companies in the games industry that have been hit with layoffs.
Over on LinkedIn, Relic Entertainment has announced that it is laying off a number of its employees following its split from Sega. The developer says it made the decision to give itself “the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry.”
“Following last week’s announcement of Relic becoming an independent studio, today we have some difficult news,” the studio wrote. “Earlier today we shared details with Relicans about a layoff. Letting people go was not an easy decision, and was made solely with the goal of providing Relic the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry. It does not in any way reflect the expertise, passion, or character of any of the impacted employees.
“We are working closely with those affected providing severance packages, extended benefits, and outplacement support options.”
Relic’s own statement did not provide details on the scale of the layoffs, but a LinkedIn post by Robyn Smale – external development producer at the studio – revealed that 41 people had lost their jobs.
“I am absolutely gutted that we are here again with more layoffs at Relic Entertainment,” Smale wrote. “We have lost a number of amazing people – 41. It’s been a bumpy road lately, so to most, this is no surprise. But still a shame, none the less. To my colleagues and friends, I am so sorry this is happening to you. These situations really suck and my heart breaks to see so many of us get separated.”
Relic Entertainment’s most recent release was Company of Heroes 3, another in a long line of acclaimed real-time strategy games developed by the studio. Other than the Company of Heroes series, Relic has also developed Age of Empires 4, Homeworld 1 and 2, the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series, and more.
