Piranha Games, known for developing MechWarrior 5: Clans, has reportedly laid off a number of staff members.
Information shared by former employees on LinkedIn reveals that individuals in roles such as writing, FX/VFX, environment and technical art, level design, and software engineering were among those let go from the Canadian studio.
One ex-employee mentioned on LinkedIn that the layoffs were part of “economic restructuring” efforts.
GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Piranha Games for further details and an official statement regarding the scale of the layoffs.
Earlier in January, Enad Global 7 (EG7) from Sweden had also implemented job cuts at Piranha Games and opted to close Toadman Interactive.
As per EG7’s business strategy, the decision affected 38 employees after the launch of MechWarrior 5: Clans.
EG7 CEO Ji Ham acknowledged the efforts of Piranha’s team but noted that the game did not attract new players or widen its base as anticipated, failing to meet sales goals, thus necessitating these steps.
The closure of Toadman Interactive was attributed to persistent industry challenges and the studio’s struggle to secure timely work-for-hire agreements.
Toadman, together with publisher Sold Out and creative agency Petrol, joined forces to create EG7 in January 2020. In the succeeding months, EG7 purchased Piranha Games for $24.1 million.