UK studio Kwalee has laid off an undisclosed number of workers. The company confirmed the news to MobileGamer.biz but failed to state how many employees have been let go.
“We are reshaping our business and our team to best capture the significant growth opportunities that currently exist in the sector, including hiring for 20 new roles,” said Kwalee in a statement.
“Kwalee has the global scale, management expertise and security of funding, combined with a differentiated strategy to take advantage of organic and acquisitive growth opportunities.”
A source close to MobileGamer claims that up to 40 people could be impacted by the layoffs, but Kwalee indicated that figure is inaccurate and the number of cuts will be lower.
“Developers and artists” at risk alongside QA and recruitment
Although Kwalee wouldn’t specify which roles are at risk, MobileGamer’s source claimed that staff have been laid off at Kwalee’s offices in Bangalore, India, and Leamington Spa, UK. They added the cuts have impacted people working in QA, recruitment, but also include some “developers and artists.”
The cuts were apparently made in small batches across the past few months. Kwalee confirmed that snippet, but said that while there have been some redundancies in recent months, it still intends to make new hires to increase its headcount from around 400 staffers to between 410 and 420 employees.
Kwalee, which is best known for developing and publishing casual titles, also expects to invest in other companies during 2024.
These cuts are the latest drop in a vast ocean of layoffs that have engulfed the game industry, with studios around the world collectively axing thousands upon thousands of workers in the name of nebulous ideals like sustainable growth and generating shareholder value.
Since the turn of the year, major players like Microsoft, Sony, Embracer, EA, Unity, and many more have all made significant layoffs. Now you can add Kwalee’s name to that growing list.