Alright, so here’s the deal — Virtuos, that big name in game development, is letting people go. I stumbled onto this info when Gauthier Andres, a French journalist, dropped it on BlueSky. He said something like, “Boom, 7% of staff gone,” which is, what, around 300 folks? Pretty wild.
So, yeah, Virtuos backed it up later — they’re saying 200 people from their Asia team are getting the boot. And then, in Europe, another 70 positions are vanishing. France? Less than ten folks, they claim. It’s like they’re playing a numbers game, but not a fun one.
Why? Well, they’re chalking it up to “changing needs” of their partners and the industry or whatever. Sounds like corporate speak for tightening the belt. They’re on about how game development’s getting more complicated, and they need to shuffle things around to keep up. Full game engineering, some fancy art stuff, creative things — the works.
To be somewhat fair, they’re offering those who are let go some separation pay and whatnot. Plus, they’re supposedly helping them find gigs elsewhere. Feels a bit like a consolation prize, doesn’t it?
Now, if you know Virtuos, you might remember their work on The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered that hit earlier this year. Plus, they’re in the mix of crafting that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater game. And, oh, they’ve had their hands in Dune: Awakening, Cyberpunk 2077, and even Sea of Thieves. Busy bees, huh?
Anyway, this is like part of a bigger wave. Everyone’s trimming down — Microsoft did their own round of cuts not too long ago. It’s a thing now, I guess. Weird times.
