A few more layoffs before Xmas
Friday The 13th: The Game andPredator: Hunting Groundsdevelopers Illfonic have announced that they’ve laid off an unspecified number of staff as they “re-align” to “a refined strategy”. No reasons for the layoffs are given in the statement, beyond a cursory gesture towards “the state of the industry”.
“Today we had to accept the harsh reality that the state of the industry has impacted us here at IllFonic,” writes CEO and co-founder Charles Brunghardton LinkedIn. “It is with the heaviest of hearts that cuts to our teams had to be made today as we re-aligned to a refined strategy. There is a lot of talent in this group and if you or your team is hiring, please reach out so people can be connected to open roles.”
As Matt Walescommentsover at Eurogamer, it’s possible the layoffs have something to do with the expiration of the license rights for Friday the 13th, which obliged IllFonic and publisher Gun Media to pull the video game adaptation from sale last December. The studio’s most recent asymmetrical horror games,Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashedand Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, don’t seem to have found a following, going by the latest Steam activity charts.
IllFonic had high hopes for Killer Klowns, despite the relative obscurity of the license, viewing it as more of an everyperson game than Friday The 13th. “We’ve found that asymmetrical horror games aren’t always for the hardcore gamer, so we’ve really tried to balance this out to make it fun and interactive for any type of playstyle,” CCO Jared Gerritzentold Nic in May. “We’ve found with [our previous games], fans that don’t play videogames but love the IP will come in. With Klowns, this is that opportunity to bring that ‘evade and escape’ vs having that hardcore shooter mentality. I think we’ve got a really good balance.”
Best of luck to all IllFonic devs who are now looking for work.
