In early May 2024, reports flagged the impending closures of two well-regarded Take-Two studios under Private Division: Roll7 and Intercept Games. Fresh reports have now alleged Private Division itself has been significantly impacted by these layoffs, with GamesIndustry.biz reporting the “vast majority” of the publisher’s teams in Seattle, New York, Las Vegas and Munich have been laid off.
The extent of these lay offs is unknown, but it’s believed the impact is significant. In response to a GamesIndustry.biz inquiry, Take-Two confirmed that cost-cutting is taking place at the studio generally, while also reassuring that Private Division’s work will continue.
“On April 16th, Take-Two announced a cost reduction program to identify efficiencies across its business and to enhance the Company’s margin profile, while still investing for growth. As part of these efforts, the Company is rationalising its pipeline and eliminating several projects in development and streamlining its organisational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs. The Company is not providing additional details on this program,” the full statement reads.
“On April 18th Private Division successfully launched Moon Studio’s No Rest for the Wicked. The label continues to make updates to Kerbal Space Program 2 and plans to release Wētā Workshop Game Studio’s Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game in the second half of 2024.”
Read: Roll7 and Intercept Games reportedly shut down by Take-Two
At this stage, it appears plans for Kerbal Space Program 2 and Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game will continue with few changes, but beyond these releases, it appears there may be significant changes awaiting Private Division. There’s currently no word on other Private Division-published games in the works.
Notably, Private Division has been in operation since 2017, and in that time, it has published an array of award-winning, highly-acclaimed games including The Outer Worlds, OlliOlli World, and Rollerdrome. For now, the publisher will continue to foster new works, but according to reports, it will operate at a reduced capacity.
Take-Two seemingly won’t provide any further updates on Private Division, as its cost-cutting program is being handled internally, and with an air of privacy. That said, we’re likely to learn more about Private Division’s next steps as we barrel towards the end of 2024.
