PopCap has laid off an unspecified number of employees at its Seattle development studio. The company confirmed the layoffs via Twitter, but did not disclose how many developers have been affected by the changes.
According to a statement from PopCap, this wave of layoffs was part of a downsizing effort that seeks to refocus the Seattle studio on “key titles and new projects”.
“Our PopCap studio in Seattle continues to be home to amazingly creative teams. But we need to evolve to ensure our big ideas are going to continue to excite and give players more of what we do best—inspiring the world to play, together,” said PopCap GM Matt Nutt.
“To do that we’ve made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our team in Seattle, and we are refocusing on key titles and new projects. We’re saying goodbye to some talented colleagues and friends today, and that hurts. We will help them with severance and other assistance, and wish every single one of them the absolute best.”
As always, if you or someone you know has been affected by these layoffs, you can email Gamasutra to share your story confidentially.
Update: A trusted source close to the matter believes these layoffs account for roughly 40 percent of the studio. The upper echelons of the studio and its mid-level management were most deeply affected by the cut, though some programmers, analysts, artists, and other staffers also lost their jobs.
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