The main thing for the weekend (March 18-19)

Kepler Interactive called the releases of Scorn and Sifu very successful, Ubisoft closed its division in Italy, and Team17 announced layoffs — we tell you what happened in the gaming industry this weekend.

▪️Ubisoft has closed the Ubisoft Italia division, which was engaged in marketing and distribution. The Italian media noticed this information in the regional register of companies. Recall that in early March, Ubisoft officially announced that it would reorganize some branches in Europe, but did not specify which ones.

▪️The creator of the Worms series has started layoffs. Former Team17 employees told Eurogamer in a comment that the company decided to pay more attention to the publishing business and cooperation with third-party teams that help with the development of games based on its IP. According to Eurogamer’s interlocutors, designers and artists were mostly reduced. Team17 confirmed to the portal the information about the dismissals, but added that they affected a small number of employees. All those dismissed can apply for other positions in the company.

▪️Kepler Interactive is pleased with the sales of Sifu and Scorn games. She said that since its release in February 2022, Sifu has sold over 2 million copies. The company did not disclose the sales of Scorn, but noted that the horror release was also successful. Kepler Interactive also reported that in the first full year of its operation, the company earned over $50 million.

Actor Lance Reddick has died at the age of 60. He was known for his roles in “Wiretap”, “John Wick” and other TV series and films. Reddick has also played characters in a number of video games. In particular, he played the roles of Silence in the Horizon series and Commander Zavala in Destiny 2.