Humble Games, the publishing division of digital store Humble Bundle, says it has “made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure its business” amid reports it has laid off all staff, but insists it is “not closing down”.
Founded in 2017, Humble Games has released a number of critically acclaimed titles, including Stray Gods, Signalis, Slay the Spire, A Hat in Time, and Eurogamer’s 2021 Game of the Year, Unpacking.
However, earlier today, several Humble Games employees took to social media to report layoffs at the company. “At 9am this morning,” said Nicola Kwan, business development manager at the company. I have written The LinkedIn post stated that “36 Humble Games employees have been informed that they have been laid off and that the company is closing.”
“Another year, another layoff!” added Emily Kiefer, senior QA at Humble Bundle. Another article“Today is my last day at Humble Games for myself and my entire team.”
In response to the initial claims, a Humble Games spokesperson now confirms the company is “restructuring,” but says it is “not closing down” and insists that future releases, including Monaco 2 and Wizard of Legend 2, will not be affected. When asked how many employees were affected by the layoffs, the spokesperson added, “We are unable to comment on employee numbers at this time.” The news today comes as The number of people cut is unknown At Humble Games last November.
“During these challenging economic times for indie game publishing, Humble Games has made the difficult decision to restructure our business,” the company said in a statement provided to Eurogamer. “This decision is not one taken lightly and comes after much thought and careful consideration, with the goal of ensuring stability and support for our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, Humble Games’ restructuring will not impact Humble Bundles’ operations.”
“We are acutely aware of the significant impact this decision will have on our Humble Games team members, and we have deep empathy for all who are affected,” the company continued. “The contributions of our team are invaluable on a global level and have underpinned the launch of our games since they launched in 2017. We are committed to navigating this transition with as much empathy and understanding as possible.”
“Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority,” Humble Games concluded in a statement. “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.”
Humble Bundle, along with Humble Games, was acquired by Ziff Davis in October 2017 and has since operated under its subsidiary IGN Entertainment. Eurogamer and its sister sites, including Rock Paper Shotgun and GamesIndustry.biz, have been part of IGN Entertainment since Ziff Davis was acquired in May. Acquires Gamer Network From former owner Reed Pop.
2024 will be a devastating year for gaming industry employees, More than 10,000 people lost their jobs So far, 10,500 games industry workers have been laid off in all of 2023.
