- Romero Games has announced that funding for its next, unannounced game has been pulled by its publisher
- Multiple employees have now taken to social media to say that they have been laid off from Romero Games due to Microsoft’s latest cuts
- One former staffer says that the “whole studio” has been laid off
Romero Games has announced that funding for its next game has been pulled, as multiple staffers claim the entire studio has been affected by Microsoft’s latest cuts.
In a social media post, Romero Games co-founder Brenda Romero shared a statement saying the team learned last night that its publisher has canceled funding for its next project, “along with several other unannounced projects at other studios”.
“This was a strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher, well above our visibility or control,” Romero said. “We deeply wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome.
“This absolutely isn’t a reflection of our team’s work, performance, or the quality of the project itself. We hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high praise, and easily passed all our internal gates.
“We’re currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team. Many of us have worked together for more than a decade, some for more than 20 years. It’s an extremely difficult day, and we’re heartbroken it’s come to this.”
Romero doesn’t explicitly say that the funding loss was due to Microsoft job cuts, but after the statement was posted, Christoph Redl, a former hard surface artist at the studio, said in a social media post that “due to the recent Xbox layoffs, I’ve lost my position at Romero Games” and is now looking for work.
Another former staffer has also taken to LinkedIn and claimed that the “whole studio is being let go because of the layoffs at Microsoft.”
As of writing, more than a dozen Romero Games employees have publicly stated that they are looking for work due to the layoffs (via IGN).
“Today I found out our whole studio is being let go because of the layoffs at Microsoft,” another former employee said.
“A very sad day,” wrote another. “It breaks my heart to say that Romero Games fell victim to the 9,100 Microsoft layoffs today. The best team I’ve ever worked with and my dream job gone just like that. It really was a great project and it’s hard to process that it’s over. It’s nothing less than tragic.”
Microsoft announced that it would be making changes across its studios yesterday, which has so far resulted in massive job cuts that have seen at least 9,000 staff members affected.
Multiple games have also been canceled, including Perfect Dark, Everwild, and an unannounced MMO from The Elder Scrolls Online studio. Developer The Initiative has also been shuttered.
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