Switchback VR Studio Supermassive Reportedly Laying Off 90 Staff

Switchback VR studio Supermassive Video games is reportedly shedding “roughly” 90 workers.

Greatest identified in VR for Till Daybreak: Rush of Blood and The Darkish Footage: Switchback VR, British studio Supermassive Video games is getting into “a interval of session” that the studio anticipates will lead to redundancies following a restructure. Supermassive did not affirm what number of workers this impacts, although Bloomberg (paywall) studies 150 workers have been notified and “roughly 90” are in danger.

Here is the full assertion from Supermassive Video games:

It is no secret that the video games trade is presently dealing with important challenges, and sadly we aren’t proof against this. After a lot deliberation and with deep remorse, we’re subsequently enterprise a reorganisation of Supermassive Video games. In consequence, we’re getting into right into a interval of session, which we anticipate will end result within the lack of a few of our colleagues. This isn’t a call that is been taken flippantly, with many efforts made to keep away from this final result.

We’re all too conscious of how unsettling and tough this course of goes to be for all our workers and will likely be working intently with all these concerned to make sure the method is performed as respectfully and compassionately as potential. We’re dedicated to focusing our efforts on our core strengths and upcoming titles to make sure the continued sustainability of the corporate.

Supermassive Video games be a part of over 7500 estimated job losses throughout this 12 months alone, following an estimated 10,000 layoffs in 2023. Right now has additionally seen PlayStation shedding 900 workers, closing down London Studio (Blood & Reality, PlayStation VR Worlds) solely whereas Horizon Name of the Mountain co-developers Guerrilla Video games and Firesprite each face redundancies. Insomniac Video games, Naughty Canine and extra first-party PlayStation builders have been additionally affected. They’re joined by different closures and layoffs we have seen throughout VR these final two months, similar to WIMO Video games, Archiact and First Contact Leisure.

As for Switchback VR, we known as Supermassive’s newest VR sport a “principally partaking horror shooter from begin to finish.” Nevertheless, many gamers initially reported visible points, which have been later addressed in a patch that additionally added eye-tracked foveated rendering help and diminished loading instances. A Horde Mode later adopted and Switchback VR topped the PSVR 2 October charts quickly after.