Ballistic Moon, the UK-based studio working on the Until Dawn remake, has reportedly begun laying off staff, weeks ahead of the game’s launch. As surfaced by Eurogamer, a range of studio animators, designers, and programmers have recently taken to LinkedIn to report job losses, confirming studio change is underway.
Some of the laid off staff are juniors, while others had been working on the Until Dawn remake for several years. Despite the impact of these layoffs, many remain positive about their experiences at Ballistic Moon, and their relationships with their colleagues.
“I am unfortunately being made redundant as a technical designer,” one former staff member wrote. “I’ve loved working with everyone at BM and hope I cross paths with members of that family in future projects.”
In a statement, Ballistic Moon has confirmed the redundancies at the studio, calling the decision regretful, but a reality of the changing face of the modern games industry.
“As the games industry continues to face complex challenges, we at Ballistic Moon are confronted with some difficult realities,” the studio said on LinkedIn. “It is with deep regret and a heavy heart that we must make the tough decision to significantly scale down our team to secure the future of our studio.”
Read: Until Dawn is getting a PS5 and PC remaster in 2024
“We want to express our sincere gratitude to every team member for their hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to Ballistic Moon. Saying goodbye to such a talented and passionate group of people is incredibly difficult, and we are profoundly sorry for the impact this restructuring will have on our employees and their families.”
Ballistic Moon has claimed it “remains focussed” on the launch of Until Dawn, and that it’s “committed to exploring new opportunities and collaborations for the future.”
As many have pointed out, these layoffs feel particularly odd, as Until Dawn is yet to release. While it may be that upcoming projects from Ballistic Moon are much smaller, and therefore require fewer hands on-deck, laying off staff prior to the release of the game, with no indication of its future performance or sales, feels unfair – particularly for those staff who’ve spent the last few years on the game.
There’s no doubt it will be a bittersweet release for the folks now departing Ballistic Moon, with Until Dawn just a few weeks away. Our thoughts are with those impacted by these layoffs.
