Written by Rhiannen ‘Doomcutie’ Austin
Another day, another heartbreaking lay off in the game development space – this time in the beloved Australian indie game scene.
League of Geeks, makers of Armello, Solium Infernum and Jumplight Odessey, announced this morning that more than 50% of their team have been made redundant.
They say it is a result of rising operation costs, a weakening of the Aussie dollar and poor Early Access sales.
In a statement posted online, League of Geeks said, “… the unprecedented withdrawal of funding opportunities across the industry, placed us in a position where we could no longer afford to cover development costs.”
Overall I am genuinely perplexed.
On one hand, games recruitment has been slowing down this year according to a recent report by the IGEA and we have seen large studios across the world culling their staff left, right and centre.
On the other hand, Australia has seen several funding programs implemented for game developers this year.
Screen Australia offers two funding programs for game developers: the Emerging Gamemakers Fund and the Game Production Fund. In addition, the Federal Government of Australia announced a refundable, nationwide tax offset for video game development in Australia just last year.
Evidently the games industry is still suffering despite this assistance.
This has also impacted in the development of Jumplight Odyssey, as they have informed fans on their Steam page that work on the game has ceased indefinitely. However, they have assured fans that this decision will not impact the launch of Solium Infernum on February 14, nor will it affect the existing support they offer Armello players.
How studios can assist
The list of people affected is astounding, from engineers to 3D artists, it is clear there is a lot of talent being let go. League of Geeks is taking a proactive approach and advocating for their team by sharing their contact details and other work related information in a public spreadsheet.
There are so many comments in this thread from people expressing their sadness and support, all in the hopes of helping the people affected.
In an effort to soften the impact of this on affect staff, they have committed half of their profit from every copy of Jumplight Odessey sold will go back to the team.
If you or you know someone who requires experienced staff, definitely share this with them.
Given the time of year, this is incredibly unfortunate.
Everyone here at Quest Daily wishes every single person affected the best of luck and hope you all land on your feet.
