Flaregames lays off 45, CEO steps down

Today, Flaregames has announced it will undergo a major restructuring that will see 45 employees let go and CEO Klaas Kersting step down from his current role in the company.

In a statement from Kersting today, he says that the restructing is the result of operating in a "hit-driven business," saying that while the mobile development and publishing company has seen some successes, they are insufficient to sustain the company long-term in its current state.

As a result, Flaregames will create a separate entity to handle its development studios Keen Flare, Kopla Games, and other unannounced acquisitions planned for the near future. Kersting will step down from his role as CEO to oversee new studio and IP investments and further this as-yet-unnamed new entity.

Flaregames will remain the business name of the company's publishing service, which will be headed up by former studio head Todd English as CEO. To accommodate these changes, Flaregames will lay off 45 employees, and the company's publishing endeavors be adjusted in scope:

"Flaregames' publishing services will centre around senior-level expertise in areas of game development, live game operations and marketing with the aim to offer a more bespoke skillset to developers," Kersting said. "Smaller service teams that provide a hand-crafted experience to our partner studios is a shift away from our past strategy of treating all studios' needs generically."

Kersting concluded by saying that more would be announced on the details of the new development side of the company in January of 2019.