Certain Affinity, the support studio for Halo Infinity, has announced it will lay off 25 employees; 10% of the workforce.
The news comes from Certain Affinity CEO Max Hoberman in a company blog postwhere it was stated that the studio will be cutting jobs for the first time in the studio’s 17-year history (via Eurogamer).
“Over the past 12 months, the gaming industry has faced unprecedented challenges,” the post reads. “We are no exception. Today we have made the extremely difficult decision to inform 25 of our US employees that their jobs will be cut. This will have the most impact on the teams that run our business.”
Hoberman says there are several underlying factors behind the decision, chief among them an “industry-wide slowdown in funding for new lead and co-development projects and the reluctance of third-party investors to fund games or game companies.”
The CEO explains that these reasons have made it “exceptionally difficult to sign new work or secure other forms of financing”, resulting in 10% of Certain Affinity’s 250 employees losing their jobs.
The post continues, with Hoberman confirming that the Texas-based studio will focus on the team and will support those affected with severance packages and continued benefits.
“We have built a great culture where we all come together to support each other in times of need,” Hoberman added. “We ask for your understanding and patience as we navigate this unprecedented event. Thank you.”
Along with credits on the Halo franchise, including 343 Industries’ Halo InfinityCertain Affinity is also known for his work on the Duty series, Hearthstone, World of tanks, Gotham Knights, Hogwarts legacyand more.
The layoffs at the studio are the latest in an ongoing wave of job losses in the games industry, all of which have exceeded 16,000 in the past 18 months, according to PC gamer.