Ninja Theory developers post farewells as Xbox closure leads to layoffs
The reported closure of Hellblade studio Ninja Theory is hitting staff hard. According to IGN and VGC, employees have begun posting on LinkedIn about losing their jobs or facing redundancy.
Gameplay programmer Katrin Mair said, per IGN, "It’s incredibly sad knowing that we won’t get to finish what we were working on." She moved to the U.K. for the job and called Ninja Theory more than just a workplace.
VGC notes that technical sound designer Alessio Mellina, performance capture expert Xoe Suvari, and technical director Loong-Wei Ding are among those affected. Their posts, spotted by journalist Chris Kerr, suggest layoffs are widespread at the studio.
Last month, Xbox COO Matt Booty stated two separate agreements to save Ninja Theory "fell through," leading to closure consultations. Eurogamer reports the studio's fate remains officially undecided, but the redundancy process is now underway.
The future of the recently announced game Senua is now in doubt. IGN and VGC report it was shown in June to potentially attract buyers, a plan that apparently did not succeed.
These cuts are part of broader Xbox restructuring. IGN reports that, according to Matt Booty, the majority of the planned organizational changes have now been carried out.
