Disruptive Games has laid off an unknown number of employees.
Multiple posts on social media indicate the layoffs have impacted staff in a variety of roles including producers, artists, audio designers, and writers.
“Disruptive Games has sadly had to let go of many amazing, talented game developers. If anyone in my network has open roles in any discipline, please reach out and I will refer you to some of the most compassionate, dedicated, growth-minded individuals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Disruptive director of game design, Sean Stahl, on Linkedin.
The news was corroborated by some who were caught in the layoffs, although it seems like Disruptive hasn’t announced the cuts at the time of writing.
“It’s with sadness that I announce I was impacted by layoffs, and I’m currently looking for a new position as Senior Environment Artist. Thank you in advance for your support and opportunities you have,” said former Disruptive artist, Guillaume Hecht.
“I’ve been affected by layoffs hitting Disruptive Games and as such am now looking for my next chapter in game dev,” added former senior technical producer Caydence Funk.
Another post from former Disruptive producer Trivia Fox indicates that around 15 people have lost their jobs–although the actual number could be higher.
Based in California, Disruptive is an independent studio that has worked on notable franchises like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Diablo. The company is currently working on a “secret project” in tandem with Amazon Games.
The fully-remote company was advertising open positions on Linkedin around a month ago and in a ‘General Application’ posted on its website says it’s still looking to expand.
Game industry layoffs in 2023 and 2024
It’s unclear why Disruptive has downsized, although the studio isn’t alone in choosing to cut jobs. 2024 has seen the wave of layoffs that began in 2023 continue to wreak havoc, costing thousands of people their jobs as major companies look to downsize and restructure—often in the name of driving profits and appeasing investors.
Game Developer has reached out to Disruptive for more information.