Funcom Lays Off Staff, CEO Exits to Focus on Dune and Conan

Funcom is cutting jobs again, part of a company-wide restructuring as it shifts to solely supporting its live survival games Dune: Awakening and Conan Exiles. According to PC Gamer, CEO Rui Casais is also stepping down from his role later this year.

The move follows a strategic pivot to focus resources on post-launch support. In a statement shared by the outlet, Casais called Dune: Awakening the studio's biggest project ever, requiring a large team during development. He stated that moving into long-term operations demands a different, smaller organization, making it impossible to keep everyone from the peak development phase.

The layoffs come after a significant revamp of Dune: Awakening last month, which added solo and player-versus-environment modes to move away from its initial heavy MMO focus. Conan Exiles also recently received a major engine upgrade and a new paid expansion.

Funcom's Chief Creative Officer Joel Bylos told GamesIndustry last month that the studio currently has no concrete plans to begin a new game, describing any future project ideas as vague thoughts. The company did not disclose how many employees are affected by the latest cuts.

Once the restructuring is complete, Scott Junior, who currently serves as Chief Product Officer and oversaw Dune: Awakening's production, will take over as CEO.