Summary
- Bossa Games, the developer behind Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread, is facing its second round of layoffs in two years.
- A number of employees at the company are set to be let go amid a major restructuring.
The developer of the popular sim game Surgeon Simulator, Bossa Games, is facing a round of layoffs amid a major restructure of the company and its development agenda, though it is unclear how many employees may be impacted. This is the second round of terminations the company has undergone in the last two years as the Surgeon Simulator creator shifts its focus as a developer to bring more games to the public.
Surgeon Simulator made waves within the gaming community when it launched, becoming a hugely popular title for internet personalities due to its unique control scheme and over-the-top sense of humor that helped to distinguish it from other titles. Developer Bossa Games would later bring the game to virtual reality and even mobile devices before expanding its library with more games like the similarly popular simulator title I Am Bread.
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Now, though, Bossa Games is undergoing its second round of layoffs in the course of just two years, as a recent post on LinkedIn from co-CEO Henrique Olifers confirms that a number of employees at the company are set to be let go amid a major restructuring. While the post did not indicate exactly how many employees are set to lose their jobs, Olifers listed the reasoning for the layoffs as a "fundamental shift" in the gaming industry that led to a necessary downsizing of its staff.
Bossa Games' Future Is Unclear Amid More Layoffs
Just last year, Boss Games underwent a similar ordeal as it laid off 19 employees amid a so-called "perfect storm" of events, according to Olifers, which included higher development costs and a generally expanding gaming market. While the company has managed to stick around so far in the current gaming sphere, its output of games has remained somewhat slow, with its last major title, the physics-based adventure game I Am Fish, having launched back in 2021.
While it is unclear what the future may look like for Bossa Games, the developer appears steadfast in its development plans, with multiple new projects reportedly still on the way in the coming years. However, with Marvel Rivals developer NetEase backing out as one of the company's major investors, it may need to find new sources of funding or otherwise restructure its release plans accordingly, which is also a likely contributor to the layoffs.
Bossa Games did not provide any information about what its upcoming projects may look like as it reportedly prepares to shift its focus to smaller teams of dedicated developers working on various projects simultaneously. In any case, though, fans can likely expect more of the same kinds of humor and gameplay present in the likes of Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread as the company works toward bringing more new experiences to the gaming public.
Surgeon Simulator tasks players with completing a series of complex surgeries from a first-person perspective. However, these surgeries are the furthest thing from realistic, as the playable character is intentionally difficult to control, leading to some hilarious situations.
The game was a huge hit, largely thanks to its popularity with YouTubers and streamers.