Summary
Mobile video game developerNaturalMotion Gamesis facing a company-wide staffing review, with allegations of employees already being let go and an entire studio getting shut down. NaturalMotion Games is a subsidiary ofZynga, and statements from company officials have confirmed that considerations for restructuring are currently underway.
Zynga’s parent companyTake-Two Interactive announced layoffsearlier this year, and recent comments from employees and executives suggest that studios further down the business ladder are also being impacted by restructuring efforts. The announced Take-Two cutbacks were expected to impact several hundred staff through the end of 2024, and it would seem yet another wave of workforce reductions has shuttered a development team.
As reported byGamesIndustry.biz, sources at NaturalMotion have stated that job cuts “have already begun,” including an entire studio in Birmingham getting closed down. An official comment from Zynga noted that the company is currently reviewing its operations in the United Kingdom and United States and changes may be made to ensure the long-term sustainability of the studio. The statement further assured audiences that any adjustments to staffing would not impact anygames made by Zynga, and there should be no interruptions to services that will impact players. While officials did not confirm allegations by staff of early layoffs or shutdowns, they did emphasize a desire to “work closely with affected employees,” leaving fans to speculate if the noted “affected” workers have already been let go or if they are now bracing for the seemingly inevitable.
NaturalMotion Games Facing Layoffs In UK and US
Both the alleged and expected layoffs at NaturalMotion Games follow an unfortunate trend that has been bombarding the video game industry since 2023. Dozens of indie andtriple-A game studios have laid off staff, with Microsoft, Sony, Embracer Group, Bungie, and Take-Two Interactive among the many big name companies to undergo major restructuring efforts. Audiences have debated the necessity of these layoffs, with many fans questioning growing stock values and rising corporate profits being reported in tandem with thousands of workers facing redundancy. Whether the onslaught of cutbacks will begin to fade away remains unknown, as studios continue to review their workforces across the globe.
Fans have remained skeptical about thefuture of the video game industry, though a number of analysts and experts have been optimistic about what the next several years may hold. For now, workers atNaturalMotion Gamesare facing an uneasy review by Zynga, and it remains to be seen just how many staff members may be impacted by any changes.
