People Can Fly suspend project and layoff 120 employees
Bulletstorm and Outriders developer People Can Fly has announced that they are laying off 120 employees, as they reduce a self-publishing strategy and suspend or scale down work on multiple projects.
Posting the public announcement on social media, People Can Fly CEO Sebastian Wojciechowski said:
“The videogame market is still evolving, and we have to adjust with where things are today. We are redoubling our efforts with new work for hire engagements and focusing on the development of a single independent game.
“We believe in our teams, games, and their potential, and we remain extremely committed to continuing that journey, but we need to tailor our plans to our financial capacity. […]
“We recognize this is a profoundly challenging time for our team members, as we say goodbye to valued colleagues who have contributed so much. We are focused on supporting those impacted during this transition providing them with resources and assistance to navigate this change, and are equally committed to caring for those staying, who are managing the challenges of losing coworkers and friends. Our priority is to approach this moment with compassion and to ensure our team feels supported as we work together to build a stronger future.”
People Can Fly had over 700 employees before the layoffs – the most recent headcount update on their site came at the end of last month – spread across multiple locations in Poland, the UK, Ireland, and North America. The company had grown massively over the past decade, numbering around 40 when they regained independence from Epic Games in 2015. It’s not clear where the layoffs will be coming from, with PCF Publishing HQ in Dublin, Ireland, a likely position, and whichever studios were heading up the affected projects.
It’s a trying time for the games industry as a whole, and a truly sucky time of year to be making layoffs, so we wish all those affected the very best.
The company had six codenamed projects in development and two of the self-published
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