Mind Candy confirms closure of Brighton office Candy Labs

Mind Candy, which develops the Moshi Monsters IP, has confirmed the closure of its Brighton offices, known as Candy Labs. It's unknown exactly how many of the staff have lost jobs as a result.

The office, which had a head count of 26 at this time last year, had most recently produced World of Warriors, which was picked for Editor's Choice on the global App Store. However, the new IP didn't fulfil hopes that it would develop beyond its App Store presence and build into a transmedia brand or toy line in the way that Moshi Monsters did. In May of 2014, Mind Candy CFO Divina Knowles reported that the game had generated 5.5 million downloads and around $6 million in revenues.

In a brief statement, Mind Candy explained the decision as part of a wider plan to bring the company's staff together under a single roof in London, but was unable to say whether all Candy Labs employees had been offered a transfer. All IP currently under development at Candy Labs will be continued.

"Mind Candy is currently in the process of bringing its whole team back together under one roof at its London HQ," the statement reads. "It has been great having a base in Brighton, but we feel the time is right to have all of our employees in the same space going forward."

This year has been a difficult one for the firm as a whole, struggling to replicate the huge success it saw with Moshi Monsters. With the notoriously fickle children's market constantly shifting, Mind Candy has had to gradually pare down its numbers ever since the heyday of 2012, when it employed over 200. By the end of 2014 that number had shrunk to around 100. Wth the closure of Candy Labs, it's likely to now sit at around 70.