Embracer's Lost Boys Interactive studio hit with another round of layoffs

Gaming IndustryEmbracer’s Lost Boys Interactive studio hit with another round of layoffsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: Lost Boys Interactive)

Lost Boys Interactive website art - lone character wearing a backpack on a street filled with damaged and overturned cars, facing away from the camera, toward a crowd

Embracer studio Lost Boys Interactive has undergone a second round of layoffs, saying in a message posted toLinkedInthat it “has made the very difficult decision to reduce our overall headcount.”

Lost Boys CEO Shaun Nivens said the decision to lay off employees was “difficult” and came “only after considering all other options.”

The number of employees put out of work was not specified, but the studio said the layoff “impacts employees across several states.” It sounds like the cuts went deep: Former LBI art director Francois Gilbert called it an “extensive layoff” onLinkedIn, while former lead character artist Daniel Zinck said hiswhole teamwere let go.

These layoffs follow aprevious round of cutsthat occurred in January, when an unknown but seemingly significant number of people were let go in what the studio said at the time was a response to “headwinds facing the industry right now.” That’s a reference to the devastating contraction that’s wracked the industry since thebeginning of 2023, when studio executives—virtually all of whom remain employed—figured out that the spike in player counts and engagement seen during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t actually going to last forever.

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