Major layoffs happening at Zynga

Approximately 18 percent of staff cut

Sad news been handed down to many employees of the massive social game developer Zynga, as the company is reportedly cutting loose 520 staff members. That’s around 18 percent of the company workforce. As part of the cuts, the Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York studios are to be shuttered, with all layoffs to be completed by August of this year. Some games from the shuttered studios will be following their developer’s fate, such as the Zynga LA title Empires & Allies, which is set to be taken offline June 17.

This move comes as a way to sustain the struggling developer, which estimates it will save anywhere in the ballpark of “an estimated $70 to $80 million.” Zynga is also reporting to expect a net loss of anywhere from $39 to $28.5 million for their second quarter, with its share trading being halted on NASDAQ just before the news of the layoffs hit.

Looks like Zynga is having a rough go of it all around, and while I can’t say that I’ve played any of the company’s games, my thoughts go out to all the people affected. Here’s to hoping they recover from this quickly.

Zynga to lay off 520 employees worldwide, close LA, Dallas, and New York studios [Polygon]