Studio “working to support everyone impacted”
“Due to current market conditions, we regrettably had to let some of our Telltale team go recently,” the studio wrote in a statement. “We did not take this action lightly, and our commitment to storytelling and finding new ways to do so remains the same. We are grateful to everyone for their dedication along this journey, and we are working to support everyone impacted.”
The Telltale cuts are the latest in a series of brutal mass layoffs at major videogame companies, withEpic recently carving away 830 stafffollowing what their CEO Tim Sweeney described as an “unrealistic” period of over-investment – naturally, he’s not amongst those clearing his desk. Creative Assembly have begun a redundancy processfollowing the cancellation of their shooter Hyenas, while Team 17are cutting staff for the second time this year. Back in January, Microsoftfired almost 10,000 workersacross several studios and departments, blaming the state of the global economy and shifting consumer spending patterns.
In hisXitter thread, Huang took the opportunity to broach the evergreen subject ofvideogame industry unionisation. “Now, I focus on what matters to me - my own game, and the following words: Games industry, we must UNIONIZE,” he wrote, calling on peers to fill out the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees rates and working conditions survey, hosted byGameWorkers.org.
How can unions help when companies try to fire giant swathes of their workforce? I can’t say I’m an expert on the subject, but I’ve been mass-laid-off myself, and the very short version is that they can at least fight for fairer terms of dismissal, while also applying more general pressure for executives to keep workers in mind before they take any risks with the business. Polygon has agood, comprehensive guide to unionisationif you want to read more.
There have been a number of major unionisation efforts this year, reflectingwidespread support for the ideaamong developers. In January, QA staff at ZeniMaxvoted to form the largest union in the games industry, with over 300 members (and parent company Microsoft’s blessing, in public at least). In July, Sega of America employeesvoted to form the Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega union, bringing together over 200 staff from several departments including marketing, QA and live service support. More recently,Genshin Impact voice actors called for unionisationafter months of alleged unpaid work.
Best of luck to everybody affected by the Telltale news.
