Cut to Bits lays off majority of staff due to "financial reasons" following launch of Venture to the Vile

Another indie studio has unfortunately announced layoffs. Canadian developer Cut to Bits faced financial struggled after the launch of its debut game.

Cut to Bits co-founder and producer Masao Kobayashi shared the news in a post on X (spotted by Game Developer), announcing that he and the majority of staff will be laid off “due to financial reasons.”

This comes less than a month after the launch of the team’s metroidvania Venture to the Vile.

“Regardless of the outcome, we are immensely proud of our game and our talented team,” he said in a statement. “We have dedicated, talented, and thoughtful devs looking for new opportunities.”

With a heavy heart, I have to announce that I, along with most of our staff at Studio Cut to Bits, must be let go due to financial reasons.
After 5 years of hard work on Venture to the Vile and the studio, it’s hard to know what to say.

— Masao Kobayashi (@MegaMasao) June 20, 2024

Kobayashi also shared a list of 10 employees looking for new jobs on LinkedIn, including producers, artists, QA testers, and a combat designer.

The Cut to Bits co-founder spent almost 14 years at Ubisoft, starting as a localization specialist and working his way up to production manager. His portfolio includes titles such as Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, ACIII, Far Cry 3, Rainbow Six Siege, and the now-canceled free-to-play shooter Hyperscape.

In 2019, Kobayashi started his own studio together with lead programmer Tommy Sagala and creative director Paul Green. Both also worked at Ubisoft: Sagala served as gameplay programmer on Far Cry 5 & 6, while Green contributed to Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (level design), Assassin’s Creed: Origins (quest design), and Far Cry 5.

Cut to Bits worked on Venture to the Vile for five years. Launched on May 22, the game currently has a 71% (“Mostly Positive”) rating on Steam, but there are only 76 user reviews. Players praised its art direction, graphics, and story, but many fans of the genre didn’t enjoy the combat and criticized the game’s technical state.

The studio didn’t disclose the sales figures, but lackluster launch was likely one of the reasons behind those “financial struggles” mentioned above. Despite the job cuts, Kobayashi noted that the team will continue to support Venture to the Vile through patches and will release a PlayStation port later this year.