The currently rather sad chapter of layoffs in the video game industry simply continues and now also affects Cloud Imperium Games, the developers of Star Citizen. There, too, a number of employees are now being thrown out onto the streets.
While the top dogs like Sony, Microsoft and, today, Electronic Arts make the big headlines with their waves of layoffs, a number of smaller studios in the industry are also affected. Unfortunately, Star Citizen developer Cloud Imperium Games has now joined this squad.
According to a new report, the studio has thrown out a number of employees over the past month. Exact numbers were not known, but further allegations in this context were. According to this, there was initially talk of reassigning the employees who no longer have a job – and now there are allegations against Cloud Imperium Games about allegedly toxic workplace conditions.
According to MassivelyOP, the laid off developers include the previous live game director Todd Papy, who spent almost ten years at Cloud Imperium Games. The “mass layoffs” are said to have affected various areas such as design, production and quality assurance. The above-mentioned accusation of initially communicating differently comes from Annie Bouffard, who also has to look for a new job.
It is also Bouffard who speaks of the developer as a “highly toxic” working environment. Cloud Imperium Games has not yet officially commented on these allegations or the dismissals.
The development studio has been working on the sci-fi epic Star Citizen for many years, which somehow never really seems to leave the alpha phase. The title is considered one of the biggest crowdfunding successes in history; This is also why the game has a budget of well over $500 million, making it one of the most expensive games in video game history.
Star Citizen – Free Fly February 2024 Trailer
This year there is again a free fly event in Star Citizen that lets you play the space title for free.