Summary
- CI Games, publisher of popular titles like Lords of the Fallen, has announced more layoffs, adding to the industry's ongoing trend in 2024.
- Despite commercial success, significant growth, and record-high revenue in recent times, the company still faces layoffs and restructuring.
- Gaming industry turmoil continues with multiple studio closures and layoffs, stirring concerns among gamers about the state of the industry.
CI Games, the publisher of titles such as Sniper: Ghost Warrior and Lords of the Fallen, has announced another wave of layoffs in what has been a devastating year for the gaming industry so far. At this rate, layoffs and studio closures have practically become a weekly occurrence in 2024, and it seems like even the commercial success of hit games like Lords of the Fallen isn't enough to stop them. The current state of the industry is a point of concern in the eyes of many gamers, to say the least, and unfortunate news like this doesn't remedy those worries in the slightest.
Since its establishment in 2002, CI Games has been publishing dozens of lower-budget and AA titles from developers across Europe and America, whether they be from independent studios or the company's own internal teams. In recent years, however, the small Polish publisher has expanded significantly, with over 140 individuals working at the company as of 2021. The 2023 Lords of the Fallen reboot, meanwhile, was one of CI Games' biggest launches ever, with the new Soulslike title selling 1 million copies only 10 days after its release. The success of the game resulted in CI Games reporting its highest year-over-year growth in net revenue in the company's entire history. Despite this, however, this impressive feat hasn't stopped the Polish publisher from being hit with bad news.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, CI Games is laying off around 30 more employees "across its production teams" as part of the restructuring efforts that the company initiated back in January 2024. The publisher clarified that Hexworks, the developer behind the challenging Soulslike RPG Lords of the Fallen, is not going to be affected by this wave of layoffs. In addition, CI Games insisted in its statement that this would mark the "final, targeted round of redundancies" for the company. Though it did not explicitly provide information on potential severance packages, the publisher did state that "all affected employees...will be fully supported throughout the process over the coming weeks."
CI Games Has Been Hit With Two Consecutive Rounds of Layoffs in 2024 So Far
This news comes merely months after the Lords of the Fallen publisher announced that it was laying off 10% of its entire workforce in January. That round of layoffs, however, primarily impacted the marketing team at the company, in addition to both Hexworks and Sniper: Ghost Warrior developer Underdog. Interestingly enough, this announcement also came soon after the confirmation that CI Games signed a deal with Microsoft to bring Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 and the Lords of the Fallen reboot to Xbox Game Pass sometime in 2024.
It's been an incredibly tough month in the gaming industry when it comes to layoffs. Xbox recently came under fire for shutting down several Bethesda studios, like Tango Gameworks and Arcane Austin. Meanwhile, Take-Two Interactive closed Intercept Games and Roll7 a week prior, in addition to laying off 5% of its total workforce. And now, with Lords of the Fallen publisher CI Games letting go of employees yet again, it seems like there's no end in sight for this devastating industry trend.
Lords of the Fallen
- Released
- October 13, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
An epic, dark fantasy action-RPG set in a vast world of shadow and chaos.
Overthrow a resurrected demon god in this all-new adventure set in an interconnected world five times larger than the original game.
In Lords of the Fallen, you play as one of the fabled Dark Crusaders, who must journey through the realms of the living and the dead to disrupt the reign of Adyr, a cruel tyrant who has ushered in a new age of devastation for humanity.
Along the way, you'll endure colossal boss battles and get to grips with a fast and challenging combat system. With nine character classes and hundreds of weapons to choose from, you'll customize your hero and develop your own play style as you set out to defy the gods. Will your legend be one of light... Or one of darkness?
- Developer(s)
- HEXWORKS
- Publisher(s)
- CI Games
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
