Beamdog, best known for remasters of classic RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment, has reportedly been hit with layoffs. It appears to be another victim of the ongoing restructuring at Embracer Grpoup, which acquired the studio last year.
What happened?
- The layoffs at Beamdog were first reported by Timur222, who spotted a LinkedIn post published by former employee Duncan Krammer on September 16. “Unfortunately I was one of those affected by the layoffs today at Beamdog,” the message reads.
- A brief search indicates that a number of other employees have been affected, including senior QA analyst Cillian Murray and QA analysts Greg Burgess and Jalissa Murray. Murray noted that it happened “due to the need for restructuring.”
- Beamdog has yet to officially confirm the job cuts. According to Tencent Games business development director Amir Satvat, who tracks layoffs in the games industry, 25 employees were affected. At the moment of writing, Beamdog employed 69 people (via LinkedIn).
Who are Beamdog?
- Beamdog was founded in 2009 by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and lead programmer Cameron Tofer.
- The studio is best known for remastering classic video games, including MDK2, Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment.
- Beamdog even tried to pitch a “reforged” version of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, although the project never materialized.
- In April 2022, the studio was acquired by Saber Interactive, one of Embracer Group’s operative groups, through its wholly owned subsidiary Aspyr Media.
- On September 12, Beamdog launched version 1.0 of MythForce, a roguelike inspired by classic cartoons like ThunderCats and He-Man. The game received mixed reviews from both critics and players, which could have also resulted in lower-than-expected sales.
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When announcing its restructuring program, Embracer Group said that during its process, it will divest some of its studios and revise the review process for current and potential new titles in terms of investment required.
In addition to Beamdog, the Swedish holding company has already conducted layoffs at Gearbox Publishing, as well as closed Volition Games and Campfire Cabal.