Embracer lays off 50 more employees and may soon close resurrected TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design, yet its CEO and board of directors still have their jobs and were 'discharged from liability for the financial year'

pcgamer.com:

There's more bad news out of struggling gaming conglomerate Embracer: The company has confirmed that approximately 50 employees are being laid off from Chorus developer Fishlabs, and is also reportedly looking at closing TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design completely.

Fishlabs is best known for the well-received «sentient starfighter» sim Chorus, but it's also had a hand in recent games including Dead Island 2, the Saints Row reboot, and the Xbox version of Valheim. It was working on an unannounced game known internally as Project Black, but parent company Plaion, one of Embracer's internal divisions, said it was unable to find financing for the project and was thus forced to cancel it and cut employees. Remaining Fishlabs employees will continue to work on «existing co-development projects» with other Embracer studios.

«We are facing a tough moment together,» Plaion vice president Lars Janssen said in a statement. «Each individual at our Fishlabs studio has been more than just a team member; they've been a vital part of our creative journey, bringing not only their skills but also their passion and dedication to every project. We're truly thankful for the energy and heart they've invested in our collective endeavors. This painful decision is a reflection of the broader challenges in the gaming industry, not the incredible talents or efforts of our team.» 

Of course, it's fair to say that this tough moment is not really being faced «together»: 50 employees suddenly no longer have jobs, while the company leadership whose decisions led to Embracer's catastrophic situation are still comfortably employed. In fact, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors and the company's board of directors were formally "discharged from liability