The hits keep on coming in regards to layoffs in the games industry. This time around we’re reporting on a layoff of 50 workers at developer ProbablyMonsters along with the cancellation of a project known as Battle Barge.
This round of layoffs falls tangentially to our sphere of gaming, to say nothing of being another story in the year-long shrinking of the games industry in general: Readers might recall that ProbablyMonsters is effectively an investor of smaller studios with an eye toward supporting them with things like development and business planning, all while owning a majority stake, though reportedly any of the companies under its wider umbrella would be free to go indie at any time.
More directly, ProbablyMonsters was the owner of Concord developer Firewalk Studios before Sony acquired that team in 2023 – and subsequently shut the studio entirely after the shooter’s ignoble sunset. ProbablyMonsters is also the incubator of the studio Hidden Grove, which stated it was working on a multiplayer game with battle royale elements this past April.
According to a statement from ProbablyMonsters, the firings are part of a “realignment” that will focus on supporting smaller teams and projects. “We believe this format better matches the needs of players and the market,” the studio is quoted as saying. “Our hearts go out to everyone impacted as we navigate the new realities of the gaming landscape as an independent company.”
ProbablyMonsters has yet to release or even unveil any game and has in fact cancelled projects before, but the company insists it in its statement that there are several projects underway, ranging in progress from various early stages to active development.
