UPDATE: 9:50 am PT 2/28/2023: Cloud Imperium Games responded to our request for comment, providing a comment on the reported layoffs at the company. The comment doesn't specifically state how many positions were affected, but it does confirm that some positions were changed to allow for 'consolidation,' confirming relocation as part of the reason why these people were laid off.
"As part of our normal processes, we regularly look for ways to make our operations more efficient, which can include restructuring in order to place a position closer to the team it supports. Now that we are back in office and seeing the progress and quality of work when our teams are in-person working together, we have decided to co-locate as much development as possible, which has resulted in some minor staffing changes as we move some development positions closer to their core teams. As a result of this consolidation, a small number of positions were eliminated and we continue to recruit for key roles within the company."
Original Story Below:
It appears there might be some shake-up going on at Cloud Imperium Games, if recent LinkedIn posts are an indication, thanks to some Reddit internet sleuths. Over the last few weeks, several former CIG employees have taken to their professional profiles to share that they are no longer with the Star Citizen developer, with some pointing to a potential requirement to relocate as part of the reason.
The news comes via a Reddit post (spotted by MassivelyOP), and it seems to point to a potential desire by Cloud Imperium Games to have employees potentially relocate to its Manchester office, thanks to some very lucrative tax breaks there. As a result, multiple high profile developers in recent weeks, including Star Citizen’s game director Todd Papy, have departed the studio.
The list includes a Senior QA analyst Andrew Rexroth, lead producer Jake Ross, QA Lead Vincent Sinatra, Turbulent (whom CIG acquired last year) Producer Annie Bouffard, Lead Designer Dane Kubicka, and Assistant Design Director Dan Trufin, as pointed out by the Reddit post.
The posts point to restructuring which occured at the studio,
Tellingly, former Turbulent Producer Annie Bouffard’s LinkedIn comment directly addresses the “relocation of staff” as a reason, with the producer stating she was being “gaslighted” regarding layoffs at the studio.
“I was gaslighted when I expressed concern about potential layoffs, telling me I didn't know what I was talking about, just before the holidays,” Bouffard commented (via a LinkedIn translation from French). The post continued, “At the end of January, a mass dismissal, disguised as a "relocation of staff" (when very few could/wanted to move to other countries/continents with little or no notice) occurred.”
Cloud Imperium Games has not publicly addressed these departures, but given the wider industry trend of laying off talent to cut costs and “restructure” their studios, including the news today that Sony was laying off 8% of its total global workforce, it’s not hard to see that there is something going on here.
We’ve reached out to CIG via our PR contact for a request for comment on this report and will update should they respond.
Ta, Slapshot.
