Avalanche Studios, the company that makes the Just Cause games, is laying off 50 workers. They are closing their offices in New York and Montreal. The company said on its website that this was a very hard decision.
The layoffs will impact 9% of their workers worldwide. They believe this is needed to keep the company stable and strong in the future.
Just Cause Developer Avalanche Studios Lays Off 50
Avalanche Studios Group has announced that it is closing its studios in Montreal and New York. This will result in 50 employees losing their jobs.
In a statement on its website, the company explained that closing these offices is necessary to keep the company stable and sustainable.
“We are now focusing on helping those who are affected during this difficult time,” the statement said. “We are thankful for the important work of those who are leaving and are still committed to making great games for our players.”
The Montreal office was opened recently, in October, after Avalanche bought a local company called Monster Closet Games.
The New York office, which opened in 2011, had already faced staff cuts in 2015 after the release of the games Just Cause 3 and Mad Max.
Avalanche opens and Closes the Montreal Studio very Quickly
Today’s news is part of the continuing wave of layoffs hitting the video game industry. Many big companies are saying they need to make cuts to stay strong in a tough economy.
Avalanche is now part of this group. They decided to close their Montreal studio just eight months after it opened.
Avalanche Montreal opened in October 2023 after Avalanche bought and combined Monster Closet’s team into their studio. The Montreal team was supposed to help with current and future projects but has now been shut down.
Before expanding to Montreal, Avalanche made a contract with its Swedish employees after a group of 100 workers wanted to form a union. This two-year contract will cover all employees in Sweden and set rules for their salaries and benefits.
A Worrying Trend Continues
Avalanche, the company that helped create games like 2015’s Mad Max, Rage 2, and the upcoming Xbox-exclusive Contraband, has laid off more workers. This is part of a larger pattern of job cuts in the gaming industry over the past year.
In 2023 alone, over 10,000 developers lost their jobs. Big companies like Sony, Microsoft, Riot, and EA have also laid off many employees in 2024.
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