Update (06/30/25): Don't Nod has confirmed reports of layoffs at its Montreal studio. In a statement handed to Eurogamer, the French company said it made the decision to proceed with a round of layoffs after finishing work on Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.
"This decision was taken after exploring all other possibilities and ultimately reflects the challenging reality of maintaining sustainable operations in a difficult economic context for Don't Nod," reads the statement. "We want to sincerely thank every team member affected for their dedication and contributions throughout the development of Lost Records. Their talent and commitment were instrumental in bringing the project to life."
The company didn't disclose how many people were laid off—but social media posts shared by employees last week described the cuts as a "wave of layoffs" and indicated the news came as a shock.
Original story: Don't Nod Montréal (DNM) has reportedly laid off an undisclosed number of employees across multiple departments.
Via LinkedIn, multiple developers have announced their departures after what they call a "wave of layoffs" at the studio. This includes QA lead Sandra Comier, principal cinematic artist Mary Pouliot, technical artist Laurent Dufresne, and senior game and level designer Mathieu Tremblay.
"Although I was anticipating this dreadly fatality that is now a habit in the industry, it came to me as a real shock," Pouliot wrote. "I did not anticipate that this morning when waking up and going to the studio. But there it is. No cinematic artist anymore at DNM."
"I'd like to say I'm shocked but I think the dread across the entire video games industry in the last few years has been a constant we've all dealt with on a daily basis, and started to feel numb to," Dufresne said.
Both Dufresne and Tremblay said that the work put into the studio's latest title, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, was a "miracle" given the circumstances.
"The omnipresent waves of layoffs in our industry finally got to us after the release of Bloom and Rage. Sadly while we managed what feels like a miracle given circumstances, it didn't seem like enough to keep our relatively small team whole and a non-insignificant chunk of it was lost today," said Dufresne.
Back in September 2024, Don't Nod said that its previous releases, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, did not achieve the commercial results the company had hoped for, with both selling "well below" expectations.
The following month, CEO Oskar Guilbert released a statement mentioning a "reorganization project" that could result in up to 69 jobs being eliminated. French game development union STJV condemned the decision, calling it "the climax of a series of catastrophic decisions, denounced for a long time by workers."
In January this year, the union called on Don't Nod staff to enact an extended strike in support of employees at risk of layoffs. The strike was approved by around 90 percent of workers who voted in a general assembly. After negotiations and strike action, STJV cut a deal with Don't Nod to widen the scope for voluntary redundancies, which could save up to 23 jobs by allowing more people to consider accepting a voluntary severance package—as opposed to a select few workers being forced out of the door. It remains unclear whether today's wave of layoffs is related to that reorganization project.
Game Developer has reached out to Don't Nod for comment on the matter.
