Pokemon GO Developer Niantic is Reportedly Canceling Multiple Projects and Laying Off Staff

gamerant.com:

Niantic’s Pokemon GO was one of the biggest mobile hits of all time, and the San Francisco-based developer never quite managed to replicate its overwhelming 2016 success. Still, from the outside, it might have appeared that everything was going fine. The studio announced the upcoming NBA All-World only yesterday, and the monster-breeding AR game Peridot still seems set for release later this year.

However, the studio doesn’t seem to be doing too well behind the scenes. While Peridot and NBA All-World still appear to be on the table, the company has reportedly found itself in severe financial peril. In response, Niantic is canceling several products and laying off almost 100 employees.

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Niantic CEO John Hanke recently told Bloomberg that the studio was “facing a time of economic turmoil” and had “begun reducing costs in a variety of areas.” This includes laying off between 85 and 90 staff members and canceling the development of four ongoing game projects. One of the canceled titles is a Transformers game called Heavy Metal. Another is Hamlet, which Niantic developed in partnership with the theater group Punchdrunk Entertainment. According to Punchdrunk’s website, it was to be the first of several AR projects to let people everywhere experience Punchdrunk’s unique approach to immersive performances. The other two canceled projects are Blue Sky and Snowball, though information about them is limited.

Niantic’s financial woes might seem strange considering the continued popularity of Pokemon GO. Bloomberg’s article cites a report from analytics platform Sensor Tower indicating the game’s pulled in a total of $6 billion over its lifetime. That puts Pokemon GO in an