Destroy All Humans studio cuts half its staff

Black Forest Games, the Embracer-owned studio behind Destroy All Humans! 1 and 2 remakes, has laid off around half of its staff.

Kotaku reported the layoffs last night, and said the studio had 110 employees as of a headcount made public last year. Staff were told of the cuts yesterday, and have begun posting about them on social media.

The next project from Black Forest Games is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a dark and gritty God of War-inspired take on the franchise adapted from the acclaimed comic book series of the same name.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was formally announced by THQ in a showcase event last summer, where a trailer confirmed it was on the way for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. An earlier report suggested it was still years from release, however.

The video game industry has been plagued by layoffs over the past year, with many companies owned by the Embracer group suffering in particular.

Embracer’s ongoing program to cut costs and slim down has seen several studios closed, and many others downsized. Earlier this week, Elex studio Piranha Bytes stated it was facing closure.

As has become typical, Embracer has not yet commented on the matter.