According to reporting from Kotaku, Black Forest Games has announced the termination of 50% of its overall workforce, which was said to be around 110 employees in 2023. They join a growing list of layoffs experienced in the industry, which continues to accelerate from last year.
Black Forest Games is a German Developer who was responsible for Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, Titan Quest, and the recent Destroy All Humans remasters. They are currently working on an adaptation of the comic book mini-series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin.
Black Forest Games is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic who, in turn, is a subsidiary of Embracer Group, a publisher who was rather central in the mass of layoffs that occurred through 2023. The company spent much of last year cutting back staff throughout all its many subsidiaries, following explosive expansionism and the fall-through of a large investment.
A huge contraction of the industry has made this a distressing time for anyone who loves the medium. 2023 was already a huge year for job losses in the industry, while 2024 is already shaping up to be worse. Kotaku is keeping a running tally of video game (and adjacent) layoffs, and by their count, we’re already approaching nearly 6,000 in the first month of the year.
It’s hard to say what our beloved hobby will look like when all of this finally slows down, but it’s rather difficult to stay optimistic.
