Daybreak no longer “business as usual” as layoffs hit H1Z1 and Planetside teams
The H1Z1 dev team
When H1z1 and Planetside 2 developer Sony Online Entertainment announced that it had been sold by Sony and renamed to Daybreak Game Company, the company’s president and CEO, John Smedley, said, “It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation.”
But now, after being absorbed by investment group Columbus Nova, the developer has been hit by a round of layoffs that has affected its H1Z1, Planetside 2, and other teams.
“To better position our newly independent studio for future growth opportunities and to deliver on our legacy of making top online games, we have had to make some tough choices including realignment of resources,” Daybreak said in a statement. “Many of us are
saying goodbye to close friends and colleagues who we’ve worked with over the years, and we are grateful for the memories and all that they’ve contributed.”
The layoffs primarily affect Daybreak’s offices in San Diego and Austin, and some of the developer’s employees have confirmed through social media that they were part of the staff reduction.
“I probably won’t be using this much anymore, I’m no longer the PS2 build master,” tweeted Katherine Anderson, the now former build master for Planetside 2. “It’s been fun.”
The layoffs have also affected high level staff within the company, including director of development David Georgeson and director of global community relations Linda Carlson.
“They Break Games Company”
Fans of H1Z1 and Planetside 2 have reacted negatively to the layoffs, believing that the cutbacks will translate to lower quality and longer dev time for their games.
Several fans in the H1Z1 subreddit have questioned what the layoffs could mean for the Early Access game, which has already faced its share of controversy over broken promises by the developer.
“Now a bunch of freelancers are going to come in and get paid bottom dollar,” wrote one user. “Do you expect them to be as passionate about this game as the full timers were? F— no. The game will suffer immensely.”
Whether or not the layoffs were necessary for Daybreak, the recently renamed company has stirred up some animosity within the community that it will have to overcome.
“They Break Games Company,” joked one Redditor.
Image credit: H1Z1/Sony Online Entertainment
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