Alone in The Dark studio, Pieces Interactive is laying off staff just a few weeks after the launch of the game. While there hasn’t been any official announcement from the studio itself yet, staff members have begun sharing their news on social media all but confirming the layoffs.
One staff member and QA Analyst Helena Hansen shared her post on X saying “I’m getting laid off. I’ll make a better post with my links and all that once the feelings has settled, but ugh. My heart is breaking for myself and my coworkers right now“. She reposted a photo of her name in the game’s credits.
According to other reports, Embracer Group, which currently owns Pieces Interactive, has also laid off other staff members at the studio. However, that number is unknown at this time.
The layoffs come during a shift at Embracer Group as the company plans to split into three entities. Embracer Group laid off a historical number of staff members last year and cancelled multiple game projects in an attempt to get itself back on its feet.
This comes after the company invested billions of dollars in the gaming industry, purchased multiple studios and IPs and went on a hiring spree. Unfortunately, the company didn’t take into account that you need “good” games to make money. Many of the titles released under Embracer Group since these acquisitions haven’t sold very well.
CEO of Embracer Group says he ” deserves the criticism regarding all the layoffs at the company”.
But I don’t think my team or companies deserve all the criticism. I could take a lot of that blame myself. But ultimately I need to believe in the mission we set out and that is still valid, and we are now enabling that by doing this [new] structure.”
Alone in the Dark was launched back in March to some mixed reviews. We reached out to cover the game and never heard back from the PR. Seems like the fewer reviews that existed, the better in this case.
