The majority of the team at Gameloft Toronto has been laid off, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz and confirmed by affected employees on LinkedIn. According to reports, 49 people have lost their jobs, following a previous round of layoffs in April. Only HR, IT, and management positions remain unaffected by the cuts.
Gameloft attributed the layoffs to “ever-changing market conditions,” which forced the studio to significantly reduce its production activities in Toronto. Despite being founded in 2011 and working on popular licensed titles like Lego Legacy: Heroes Unboxed and Uno & Friends, the Canadian developer had to let go of a significant portion of its workforce.
In addition to the layoffs, the support for Gameloft Toronto's Disney Magic Kingdoms game has been transferred to Kharkiv, Ukraine, and another game in development at the studio has been cancelled. This news comes in the wake of a series of layoffs in the gaming industry over the past year, affecting companies like Xbox, PlayStation, and Take-Two Interactive.
This unfortunate event highlights the ongoing challenges faced by game developers in adapting to the rapidly changing market conditions. The impact of these layoffs on the Canadian gaming industry remains to be seen, but it is undoubtedly a challenging time for those affected by the cuts.
