Widespread layoffs reported at Embracer and Gearbox-owned Lost Boys Interactive
Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderland studio lose staff "at all levels"
Lost Boys Interactive have reportedly been hit by "sizable" layoffs, as overall owner Embracer Group continue the "restructuring" program that claimed over 900 jobs at various studios last year.
Developers affected have been posting about the layoffs on Linkedin, though neither Embracer nor the studio's immediate owner Gearbox have confirmed the news. "It seems a sizable portion of Lost Boys Interactive was laid off today, including myself," former producer Jared Pace wrote on Friday. "Still trying to understand the scope of it all, but sadly - this is a song and dance we're all familiar with." Speaking to Aftermath, Pace added that the layoffs "affected all disciplines at all levels."
Art director Nick Barone has also posted about the layoffs. "Yesterday was easily the hardest day of my career," he wrote on Saturday. "Even though I was spared in the company-wide layoff at Lost Boys Interactive, so many talented artists and flat-out fantastic people were let go."
Others affected include former technical designer Kyle Rasmusson -
- and former game development producer Kevin Eckstein.Founded in 2017 and acquired by Gearbox in 2022, Lost Boys are one of the teams behind Borderlands 3 and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. According to Barone's Linkedin, the studio's current projects include an "AAA FPS" of some kind.
Gearbox themselves were acquired by Embracer in 2021, as part of a now-notorious acquisition spree that came to a rude halt in 2023 when Embracer announced they would need to cut back, following the reported failure of a multi-billion investment deal. It's rumoured that Gearbox themselves are due to be sold. Best of luck to everybody affected by the latest round of games industry cuts.