XR Video games, the Leeds, UK-based studio recognized for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded (2024) and Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever (2021), have laid off a reported 86 % of its employees.
The knowledge was shared by María Fernanda Díez Huerta by way of LinkedIn, who was Head of Manufacturing at XR Video games from 2021 – 2023. Huerta reported on Tuesday the studio has now laid off 72 staff, retaining solely 12 out of round 84, one thing she notes “goes past restructuring.”
This contains various positions in artwork, programming, QA, manufacturing, recreation design and IT.
Neither XR Video games nor its CEO Bobby Thandi have made a public announcement addressing layoffs but, nevertheless it’s arduous to think about it doesn’t have one thing to do with the commonly unfavorable reception of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, a Quest-exclusive port of the stealth-action title that proved to be a visible and mechanical mess at launch.
The layoff spherical comes amid two high-profile tasks presently in manufacturing by the studio: Zombie Military VR, a VR shooter based mostly on the favored franchise from Revolt, and Starship Troopers: Continuum, an internet co-cop shooter created in partnership with Sony—introduced only a day earlier than information of the layoffs first broke.
XR Video games isn’t the one one who’s tightened its belt although. VR veteran studio nDreams introduced in mid-September it was shedding round 17 % of the studio. This comes amid the backdrop of various prime publishers and studios lowering headcounts, corresponding to Embracer Group, Unity, Microsoft, EA, Sony, Epic Video games, Take-Two Interactive and Riot Video games.
Different VR studios affected this 12 months additionally embody Meta’s Prepared at Daybreak (Lone Echo, Echo VR), Sony’s London Studio (PlayStation Worlds, Blood & Fact (2019), and indie developer Archiact (Doom 3 VR Version).
