Latest news with #remastered
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Oblivion Remastered dev team spared the worst of mass layoffs at Virtuos, studio claims as it "remains fully committed" to projects like Cyberpunk 2077 and Metal Gear Solid Delta
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Yesterday, reports emerged that Virtuos, the studio behind Oblivion Remastered and Metal Gear Solid Delta, was set to lay off around 300 people. Today, the company has confirmed those reports while downplaying the effects of the firings on current and future projects. "Approximately 7% of Virtuos' global workforce was affected, primarily in teams facing lower occupancy and slower demand due to structural shifts in the industry," the company says in a statement. "This includes about 200 roles in Asia and 70 roles in Europe, including fewer than 10 in France, where the core team working on Oblivion Remastered is located." The statement calls the layoffs a "rebalancing of roles across our studios and geographies." Translated to non-corporate speak, Virtuos is primarily a support and co-development studio, so it's focusing on regions where most of its clients work. At least, that's how the company is framing the mass layoffs, and why they're having "a greater impact on our teams in Asia." Virtuos notes that it's "providing separation packages, career transition assistance, and opportunities for redeployment across our global network where possible. The company's immediate focus is on managing this transition with care, transparency, and respect." The company also "remains fully committed to all our partnerships, including ongoing work on announced titles such as Oblivion Remastered, Cyberpunk 2077, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater." It might seem like a bizarre time for Virtuos to go through layoffs, since Oblivion Remastered was a hit, Metal Gear Solid Delta seems poised for substantial success, and the company's work on Cyberpunk 2077 patch 2.3 seems pretty well received. But as our own Austin Wood noted in his previous coverage of these layoffs, it's just the games industry's latest demonstration that hits will not spare you. Another Xbox studio reacts to the layoffs exploding around it: with Rare's Everwild dead, Sea of Thieves dev says "it's impossible for something like this not to ripple through the studio." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Virtuos, the studio behind Oblivion Remastered, is reportedly laying off staff
Virtuos, the studio that developed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, is reportedly laying off seven percent of its staff, or around 300 employees, according to Gauthier Andres, a reporter and co-founder at Origami. The studio has provided support on a number of large game projects — including a recent patch for Cyberpunk 2077 — and employs over 4,200 people across the US, Europe and Asia. The brunt of the layoffs are happening to Virtuos employees in China, where Andres reports that around 200 positions are being eliminated. Virtuos' teams in France, who were primarily responsible for the surprise release of Oblivion Remastered back in April, are also expected to be impacted. Besides reviving Bethesda classics, Virtuos has contributed work to the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and several ongoing live service games, like Dune: Awakening and Sea of Thieves. Nothing about the company's output or the critical reception of its games would suggest it needs to conduct layoffs, but that reflects the current precarious state of the games industry. Even having theoretically steady work doing post-release support and game remasters isn't enough. Virtuos' layoffs follows the sweeping cuts Microsoft made to its Xbox division in early July. Microsoft reportedly cancelled games, like Rare's long-in-development Everwild, and shutdown whole studios, like The Initiative. Romero Games, which had an unannounced funding deal with Microsoft, was also forced to cancel its current project, though it hopes to find a new publishing partner.
