Outriders and Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly has joined the long list of developers and companies in the games industry that have been hit with layoffs, less than month into 2024. As per a report by Kotaku, the studio has laid off over 30 people.
The layoffs reportedly come as a result of the “shrinking scope” and budget limitations of the unannounced game – internally called Project Gemini – that People Can Fly is developing for Square Enix, who also published Outriders. Allegedly, due to its limited budget, the game is set to have a shorter campaign and fewer enemy types than Outriders.
On top of the 30+ cut jobs, People Can Fly has also taken around 20 staff off Project Gemini and moved them to other projects. It’s unknown how this will affect Project Gemini’s development and its planned launch timeline.
People Can Fly development director Adam Alker wrote in an internal email sent out to staff, “We understand that this decision impacts each of you, and we want to express our gratitude for your hard work, dedication, and contributions thus far. To those individuals transitioning out of the studio due to these changes, we extend our sincere appreciation for the skills and expertise you brought to the team. We will keep our fingers crossed for your next steps in game dev and offer all our support.”
People Can Fly currently has a number of other projects in the works, including Project Maverick, new game based on an existing Xbox IP; a new self-published action-adventure IP; and a new VR IP. Reports have also claimed that the developer is working on sci-fi third-person shooter RPG for Sony.