Romero Games has announced the cancellation of its upcoming first-person shooter due to its publisher cancelling funding for the game.
Studio director Brenda Romero shared on social media that it was a “strategic decision made at a high level within the publisher” that was “way above our visibility or control”.
“Last night, we learned that our publisher has cancelled funding our game along with several other unannounced projects at other studios,” Romero wrote. “We deeply wish there had been something, anything, we could have done to prevent this outcome.”
She continued: “This absolutely isn’t a reflection of our team’s work, performance, or the quality of the project itself. We hit every milestone on time, every time, consistently received high praise, and easily passed all our internal gates. We are incredibly proud of the work being done, and the talented team behind it. The best we’ve worked with.”
As a result, an unknown number of employees have been let go from the studio.
“We’re currently evaluating next steps and working quickly to support our team,” Romero added. “Many of us have worked together for more than a decade, some for over 20 years. It’s an extremely difficult day, and we’re heartbroken that it’s come to this.
“If you know of any opportunities or ways you can help our incredible team, please reach out. Thank you to everyone who’s offered support and kindness and encouragement during this difficult time.”
A former employee suggested that the decision to cancel this unannounced project, and the subsequent layoffs, was made due to the Microsoft layoffs announced yesterday.
As a result of the layoffs, which affected around 9,000 employees according to CNBC, Xbox closed The Initiative, cancelled Perfect Dark, Everwild, and Zenimax Online Studios’ MMO, codenamed Blackbird.
Almost 50% of employees at Forza Motorsports creator Turn 10 were let go, and Call of Duty studio Raven Software were also affected.
GamesIndustry.biz will keep its coverage of the Xbox layoffs updated as more information about which studios or part of the division are affected.