Another game development studio has been hit with mass layoffs. Polish developer Ancient Forge has cut almost half of its workforce.
The Tenants
Ancient Forge laid off 24 of its 59 employees at the end of August, according to Polish outlet CD-Action. The cuts reportedly affected both new hires and experienced devs, including leads and producers.
This comes amid financial struggles reported at the studio in July. Last year, Ancient Forge doubled its headcount and expanded its game development pipeline, but failed to deliver on its ambitious plans.
The studio confirmed that it has laid off people involved in two projects in development: simulation game The Constructors and an unannounced fantasy RPG with a AA budget. It cited unsatisfactory production rates, rising costs, and overall quality among the main factors behind this decision.
“Our priority is to have transparent working conditions and timely payments to employees,” Ancient Forge said in a statement to CD-Action, adding that all laid-off workers will use their outstanding leave and receive support in finding new jobs.
Ancient Forge plans to focus on other games. One of them is the upcoming colony sim Hotel Galactic, which has already generated 80k wishlists on Steam within the three months of its official announcement.
Founded in 2018 by Max Strzelecki and Dushan Chaciej, Ancient Forge is best known for its 2021 city building management sim The Tenants.