“Today, I was part of the layoff wave at DON’T NOD Montréal,” posted Pouliot on LinkedIn. “Although I was anticipating this dreadly fatality that is now a habit in the industry, it came to me as a real shock. I did not anticipate that this morning when waking up and going to the studio. But there it is. No cinematic artist anymore at DNM.”

DON’T NOD hasn’t yet released any public statements about the matter. However, French union for video game developers Syndicat de Travailleureuses du Jeu Video has released its own statement on the matter. On social media, the union posted that it had been informed of 7 employees of DON’T NOD Montreal being affected by “temporary suspension”, while 9 have been hit by lay-offs. According to the union, the lay-offs and suspensions were made to “reduce costs across the group”.

“Don’t Nod Montréal: we have been informed of the lay-offs of 9 colleagues and the ‘temporary suspension’ of 7 others in order to ‘reduce costs across the group’, posted the union on BlueSky. “We support the colleagues affected. The STJV strongly condemns Oskar Guilbert’s catastrophic management of the company.”

“In France, the union fight succeeded in drastically limiting the number of lay-offs and in obtaining acceptable departure conditions. We encourage and support our comrades and colleagues who are organising the industry across the Atlantic! Direct action gets the goods.”

Along with Pouliot and Dufresne, lead senior tester part of the QA team Sandra Cormier and senior game and level designer Mathieu Tremblay were also among those affected by these lay-offs.

“I am saddened to say I was part of yet another wave of layoffs affecting the video game industry,” posted Tremblay on LinkedIn. “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.”

The whole industry seems to be facing quite a few lay-offs in recent times. Earlier this month, a report indicated that Microsoft might be looking to let some of its employees from across the Xbox division go. According to the report, more than a dozen employees have been worried about these lay-offs.

The company had also let go of 3 percent of its workforce from across all of its teams back in May. According to the reports of the time, more than 6,000 employees across the company were affected by these lay-offs.

DON’T NOD, in the meantime, is working on a new game – Aphelion. The title was announced earlier this month with a trailer.

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:drkl6rkntt57jub7gghhfjmb/post/3lsjlv2sxd22c

In France, the union fight succeeded in drastically limiting the number of lay-offs and in obtaining acceptable departure conditions. We encourage and support our comrades and colleagues who are organising the industry across the Atlantic! Direct action gets the goods

— Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (@stjv.fr) 2025-06-26T16:57:46.059Z

Developed by DON’T NOD’s Montreal studio and led by the creative minds behind Life is Strange, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is described as the first game in the Lost Records universe, which means the developer has big plans for the IP.

The story will focus on Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat, who were inseparable friends in their high school years, and after 27 years of having had no contact with each other, are reunited under less-than-ideal circumstances that force them to “confront the long-buried secret that made them promise to never speak again.”

“It’s been quite an adventure for us since our incredible Life is Strange experience – relocating to Canada, setting up our Montréal studio, and assembling a fantastic team during the global challenges we’ve all faced,” said Executive Producer Luc Baghadoust and Creative Director Michel Koch. “Today we are thrilled to finally unveil Lost Records: Bloom and Rage. This new universe is brimming with the magical realism we love, and we are eager to reveal more about Swann, Nora, Autumn, Kat, and their journey. We can’t wait to hear the community’s thoughts.”

“Over the past three years, we’ve been building a studio that echoes the strong values of DON’T NOD and welcoming awesome people, so it’s the perfect cauldron to develop a brand-new IP that will be infused with who we are here in Montréal,” said Frédérique Fourny-Jennings, managing director at DON’T NOD Montréal. “To be able to talk about Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is an indescribable feeling because it goes beyond the story of our characters. It’s also about the team who has been carving our identity as a studio and that of the game, as well as those yet to come!”

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage will launch at some point in 2024 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.