Hitman 3 VR studio will lay off nearly all staff, employee says
UPDATE: Company confirms layoffs, though this year's projects will still launch.
UPDATE 4/10/24: The founder and CEO of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded studio XR Games has commented on yesterday's report of mass layoffs at the company, and confirmed the company is set to cut jobs.
At the same time, XR Games' statement to Eurogamer also confirms the studio's in-progress titles Zombie Army VR and Starship Troopers: Continuum will still be released.
"I'm heartbroken that we're going to be losing some of our incredibly dedicated, talented and valued colleagues," XR Games boss Bobby Thandi told Eurogamer. "We've spent many months carefully exploring alternative solutions in the face of a challenging VR gaming market and a tough broader gaming landscape, and this is one of the hardest business decisions we've faced.
"Our priority during and after this consultation process is to treat all team members with the utmost respect and care. We are committed to helping those affected by this through outplacement support, such as CV clinics, portfolio advice, interview preparation and practice, and signposting available jobs in the industry. We also have mental health support available for our staff.
"I'm so very proud of our teams for their hard work on Hitman 3: VR Reloaded, which will continue to receive patch support, as well as Zombie Army VR and Starship Troopers: Continuum, both of which are due for launch this year. We want to be able to develop innovative titles for many years to come, and we'll work to navigate this transition and shape the future of XR Games."
ORIGINAL STORY 3/10/24: Leeds-based studio XR Games looks set to lay off nearly all of its staff, following the poorly-received release of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded.
72 people - out of the studio's 84 staff total - were told they were at risk of redundancy this week, according to a LinkedIn post by XR Games' former head of production on LinkedIn (thanks, RoadtoVR). Just 12 employees are likely to remain.
"This goes beyond restructuring," the staff member wrote. "I'll keep my thoughts and observations to myself. Today, my focus is on helping those affected."
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Positions marked for redundancy look to include numerous development disciplines across the studio, including artists, programmers, project management, production, game design and IT.
XR Games is yet to announce the redundancies, and it's as-yet unclear whether the studio is planning to continue work on its other VR projects, such as Zombie Army VR and Starship Troopers: Continuum.
Eurogamer has contacted XR Games for comment.
Eurogamer's VR expert Ian Higton took a look at Hitman 3 VR Reloaded at launch and found the game in a disappointing state, with poor visual quality, VR gameplay implementation and the removal of story scenes.