Don’t Nod – the developer behind Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Jusant, and the recently-announced Aphelion – is laying off staff from its Montreal office. The number of impacted staff is undisclosed.
This wave of layoffs comes from select developers who’ve been struck by the cuts, who posted about them publicly on Linkedin. Eurogamer has contacted Don’t Nod for comment as to how many staff have been affected, as well as the reasoning for the layoffs.
Senior game and level designer Mathieu Tremblay posted: “I am saddened to say I was part of yet another wave of layoffs affecting the video game industry.”
Tremblay continues: “I am incredibly proud of what the team at Don’t Nod Montreal accomplished with Lost Records: Bloom and Rage and shipping the game with this level of quality was nothing short of a miracle in the circumstances. I wish for all others affected by this wave of layoffs to land on their feet quickly, as they are truly exceptional people.”
QA lead Sandra Comier also bid farewell on LinkedIn, writing: “Unfortunately, I was part of the layoff at DontNod Montréal and today was my last day. These past 3 years, I’ve learned a lot as a Lead QA but also as a part of a wonderful QA team ❤️ I will never stop saying how much I am proud of my colleagues.”
Last September, a Don’t Nod financial report stated Jusant and Banishers: Ghost of New Eden failed to meet company expectations. It then set its sights on Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, which it stated “received a particularly positive reception” at Gamescom when played by members of the press.
In this report, Don’t Nod CEO Oskar Guilbert said: “We are obviously disappointed by our recent performance in an extremely competitive and selective market.”
“Despite an excellent critical reception, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of new Eden unfortunately did not achieve the commercial results we had hoped for, resulting in a deterioration in our 2024 half-year results and leading us to consider all possible options regarding our roadmap.”
The following month, Guilbert put forward a redundancy plan for the company which put 69 employees at risk of losing their jobs. In response, developers are Don’t Nod went on strike at the developer’s Paris headquarters.