Disruptor Beam lays off staff
Studio says it is "right-sizing" and "pulling back" from projects that don't show growth potential of Star Trek and Walking Dead
Disruptor Beam has undergone a round of layoffs, as reported today by Gamasutra. The Massachusetts-based developer confirmed the cuts with a statement from its CEO Jon Radoff.
"Today's headcount reduction reflects increased focus at Disruptor Beam. While right-sizing is an important goal, this is not just about cutting costs. It is an opportunity to advance our strategy by focusing on two game types that we've had great success with: character-collection games and war games.
"Our character-collection title, Star Trek Timelines, has been a growth engine for the company, and we plan to build even further on that success. Our recently released war game, The Walking Dead: March To War, is also very promising, and we will continue to invest in it and grow our expertise in that genre. While we're pulling back from other project areas that don't demonstrate as much potential, this increased focus sets us up for sustainable success with a strong portfolio of free-to-play mobile games."
It can be inferred from Radoff's comments that the project areas the studio is pulling back from include its debut game, Game of Thrones: Ascent. While Star Trek and The Walking Dead have both been updated in recent weeks, the most recent updates to Game of Thrones for iOS and Android came in January and March, respectively.
According to Gamasutra, at least 10 developers were laid off from a variety of disciplines. As of this writing, the official Disruptor Beam site lists 73 people on its Team page, including some among today's layoffs.