Lost Boys Interactive to lay off 139 staff

Update, September 10, 2024: A WARN notice from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development confirmed that 139 workers have been affected by layoffs at Lost Boys Interactive.

The notice clarified that all workers had been notified at the time of writing. Staff from 28 US states were affected, and are due to be "paid regular wages equivalent to two months" following the end of their employement.

Original story, September 9, 2024: Lost Boys Interactive has laid off an unknown number of employees.

The Wisconsin-based studio (which is owned by Embracer) shared a statement on Linkedin on Friday, saying the redundancies impacted staff "across several states," without giving further detail.

"As a co-development partner studio, Lost Boys is directly influenced by the projects and priorities of our development clients," the statement read. "The need to adapt to shifting market conditions within the video game industry has required us to reassess our operations to align with the evolving needs of our business and our partners."

CEO Shaun Nivens also said that this decision was only taken after "all other options" were considered, adding thet the studio is committed to support the staff being laid off.

The studio's current projects remain unaffected, the studio's statement suggested, reading: "Our teams working on our ongoing titles remain in place as they are, and we continue to seek additional development opportunities moving forward."

GamesIndustry.biz reached out to Embracer for more information.

Lost Boys Interactive is mainly known for its work on Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, and was acquired by Gearbox in 2022, a year after the Borderlands studio itself had been acquired by Embracer.

An unknown number of Lost Boys Interactive staff was already laid off last January.