Phoenix Labs appears to be implementing another round of layoffs, eliminating perhaps over 100 employees. Former LinkedIn employees reported losing their jobs and stated that all projects in development were cancelled.
Word of the layoffs also comes from a senior Polygon reporter nicole carpenter, Who says some laid off developers mentioned they were laid off during a Zoom conference call.
Phoenix Labs has now confirmed that it laid off employees earlier today. The company wrote in a statement that it did this to “focus on best-in-class live service titles,” brave And Faye farmAnd serve their communities.”
The company said this restructuring is “the final shake-up to ensure Phoenix Labs’ long-term survival and prosperity.”
On LinkedIn, former lead engineer Chris Morness said the layoffs were ordered by the owner of Phoenix Labs Fort. The blockchain platform apparently acquired Phoenix Labs “more than a year ago” in an undisclosed deal. He confirmed a post from former UX lead Noah Watkins who said the studio’s next game was just weeks away from being announced.
Watkins said the game was “weeks away” from launching in Early Access.
Why is Phoenix Labs laying off employees?
Phoenix Labs spent 2023 wrestling with major organizational changes, culminating in a series of layoffs in… maybe And December. The layoffs in May followed the company’s separation from parent company Garena, Developers Garena Free Fire.
Aligning this timeline with Morenes’ claim about Forte, it seems likely that the blockchain platform was a key part of the shift in ownership. It is not known why her participation was not announced.
Phoenix Labs did not address this purchase in its announcement.
in September, CEO Jesse Houston and COO Jane Marie Owens have stepped down from their positions due to “personal reasons.” At the time, Houston said that “the future has never looked brighter” for Phoenix Labs. He praised the “incredible pipeline” of games in development.
It now appears that the pipeline has been closed. This is of course something else in A A long line of layoffs in the gaming industry Which has led to thousands of workers losing their jobs since the beginning of 2023.
Update 5/16: This story has been updated with confirmation from Phoenix Labs regarding the ongoing layoffs.
The game developer has reached out to Phoenix Labs for comment and will update this story when a response is issued.
“Alcohol maven. Evil bacon lover. Wannabe social media geek. Travel guru. Amateur introvert. Pop culture nerd.”