Humble Games has announced plans to restructure amid what it calls “difficult economic times for indie publishing,” with several former employees reporting they have been laid off. According to Nicole Carpenter of PolygonThe layoffs affect 36 workers. [Disclosure: IGN Entertainment and publishing label Humble Games operate under separate divisions of the same parent company, Ziff Davis. Charity bundle platform Humble Bundle remains a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment.]
This announcement was part of a statement from Humble Games, which was posted on Linkedin in the wake of Several workers confirm their layoffs via social mediaThe statement stressed the “goal of ensuring stability and support for our developers and ongoing projects,” while saying the restructuring does not affect Humble Bundle.
In these challenging economic times for independent game publishers, Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations. This decision was not made lightly; it required much deliberation and careful consideration, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will have no impact on operations at Humble Bundle.
We are fully aware of the profound impact this decision is having on our team members at Humble Games and extend our deepest sympathies to everyone affected by this decision. The contributions of our team have been world-class and invaluable, supporting the launch of our games since we began publishing in 2017. We are committed to managing this transition with as much compassion and understanding as possible.
Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. We thank you for your support and compassion during this difficult time. It is deeply appreciated.
In a separate call for comment, a Ziff Davis representative shared the above statement and said the company is “not closing its doors but undergoing restructuring,” and that “all past and ongoing projects and upcoming releases will not be affected and will continue to receive support and publishing from Humble Games.” The representative said he could not comment on the number of employees affected or remaining. post disaster The company has since reported that it has laid off all of its employees, and the work will be completed by an outside company.
Humble Games is an independent publisher with a portfolio of games including Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Signalis, and Stray Gods. Several developers who worked with Humble Games have expressed sympathy in the wake of the layoffs.
“My best wishes to all former Humble Games employees, many of whom helped make [Unsighted] “what it was” Unsighted developer Fernanda Dias wrote:“Thank you so much for your hard work on so many great games. This is very sad news.”
Humble Games is one of several independent publishers forced to restructure amid the uncertainty in the gaming industry throughout 2024. IGN reported in May that Take-Two was quietly ending its Private Division brand following the closure of OlliOlli World developer Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games. Xbox, PlayStation, EA, and several other publishers have also suffered layoffs.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
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