Expects “interventions” - including cuts to products, office space and jobs - to be made in the next six months
Unity have said that they expect to lay off staff in the coming months, following the engine maker’s catastrophic rollout of their new pricing plan earlier this year and as they turn towards a more “focused” offering, including the likes of AI, for growth.
In their latest Q3 earnings report (viaThe Verge), Unity acknowledged the disastrous introduction of theirproposed runtime fee announced in September, which was ripped to shreds by devs for its suggestion of charging them every time a player installs a game.
As a result, Unity said that they would “likely” join the number of video game companies making layoffs in recent months as they look to “become a leaner, more agile, faster growing company” via a number of “interventions”.
“This will likely include discontinuing certain product offerings, reducing our workforce, and reducing our office footprint,” Whitehurt confirmed.
The cutting of products, jobs and office space will accompany a tighter focus on what Unity called their “core” in the Unity Editor and Runtime, as well as what they refer to as “Monetization Solutions”. Among the “significant opportunities” Unity mentioned as being prime for growth is AI.
“Several weeks ago, we started a comprehensive assessment of our product portfolio to focus on those products that are most valuable to our customers,” Whitehurst said. “We are also evaluating the right cost structure that aligns with the more focused portfolio.”
Don’t expect theterriblenewsoutoftheindustryto stop anytime soon, then; thoughts with those at Unity likely to be left in an awful limbo for a while yet.
