There have been numerous layoffs in the gaming industry over the past few weeks, and 2024 doesn’t seem too bright for anyone working there. It’s weird to see all of this happening, especially after AI stepped on the podium. One studio that this has recently impacted is Certain Affinity, which is known for its work on Halo, Left 4 Dead, and Doom, but hasn’t dealt with such an anomaly over the past 17 years.
Over the past 12 months the game industry has faced unprecedented challenges. We are no exception. Today we made the extremely difficult decision to inform 25 of our US-based employees that their jobs are being eliminated. This has the most impact on the teams running our business operations.
As they revealed on their official blog on March 28, Certain Affinity has faced some tough challenges, which is why these job cuts have come through. As the press release reads:
There are multiple factors underlying this decision to do a layoff for the first time in our 17+ year history. Most significant is an industry-wide slow down in the funding of new lead and co-development projects and the reluctance of third party investors to fund games or game companies. This has made it exceptionally difficult to sign new work or secure other forms of funding.
Recently, Certain Affinity has been working on a couple of titles, including an original first-person shooter for which we do not have enough details. Last but not least, they revealed:
Our current focus is on our team and the well-being of those most impacted, whom we are supporting with severance pay and benefits continuation. We are also making their vested awards under our Stock Equity Plan portable so they may benefit from the company’s success in the future.
It is sad to see that this has impacted some companies, but it is what it is.
