Polish developer People Can Fly cuts more than 100 jobs in the latest round of layoffs due to persistent external market pressures.
The company's CEO, Sebastian Wojciechowski, posted a message on social media where he explained the reason for the layoffs. He said that the development was happening because People Can Fly was changing its self-publishing strategy.
Latest Round of Layoffs
This includes the suspension of Project Victoria, a reduction in the number of people working on Project Bifrost, as well as "restructuring some of our supporting teams." Wojciechowski added that the video game market is still evolving, forcing them to adjust.
The People Can Fly CEO said that they are redoubling their efforts with new work for hire engagements and are shifting focus to the development of a single independent title.
He noted that they believe in their teams, games, and potential and are still committed to continuing their journey, according to PCGamer.
The studio's website also showed that it has more than 700 employees, which is a number that was presumably made before the layoffs. The developer has not officially revealed Project Victoria and Project Bifrost to the public.
But what is known is that People Can Fly has been working on the two titles for at least two years now. It referenced the games when it previously announced the end of its publishing deal with Take-Two Interactive two years ago.
People Can Fly's Projects
The latest development also follows the studio's decision to cancel Project Dagger in April 2024, which was an action-adventure game. This particular game was originally planned to be co-developed and published with Take-Two Interactive, IGN said.
Wojciechowski said that the layoffs were necessary as "external market pressures persisted beyond our forecasts." The studio has other titles in the works, including Project Gemini, which is in development with Square Enix and Project Red.
The former is a project whose status is currently unclear and the latter is said to still be in the "concept stage." The company's most recent project is Bulletstorm VR, which is an updated version of the classic shooter and is available on the Meta Quest and PSVR 2.
The People Can Fly CEO added that they were extremely grateful for the contribution of the affected employees. He said that their talent and dedication to their craft helped shape the studios as well as its projects.
The studio is also said to be providing "resources and assistance" to the people who were impacted by the latest round of layoffs, according to Eurogamer.
