Civilization developer Firaxis Games is another studio that has been hit with layoffs. The job cuts come in the wake of the weak commercial performance of its latest game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
According to Axios, around 30 developers were affected by the layoffs at Firaxis. A spokesperson for 2K, the studio’s parent company, confirmed news, citing a “harpening of focus, enhancements of efficiencies, and an alignment of our talent against our highest priorities” as the main reasons.
The publisher added that Firaxis plans to keep making “criticially acclaimed video games.” Its latest release, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, also falls under this category, as the title received positive reviews from critics and players following its launch in December last year.
However, Take-Two wasn’t satisfied with sales, eventually considering Midnight Suns a commercial flop. CEO Strauss Zelnick later told Jason Schreier that “it’s possible the release window wasn’t perfect.”
In its financial report released in February, Take-Two announced a cost reduction program that is “expected to yield over $50 million of annual savings.” The company plans to cut expenses in infrastructure and personnel areas, which involves layoffs.
Earlier this year, Firaxis senior franchise producer Garth DeAngelis left the studio after 14 years, with Midnight Suns being the last game he helped ship. In February, it lost two other veteran developers, XCOM creative director Jake Solomon and studio head Steve Martin. The latter was replaced by COO Heather Hazen.
Right now, Firaxis is working on the next Civilization game, but there are no details about it yet. Sid Meir’s Civilization VI became the best-selling title in the series, with sales of the entire franchise topping 67 million units.
