Earlier this year, Take-Two Interactive announced that it was laying off about 5% off its workforce, following which it emerged that its indie-focused label Private Division was set to be severely impacted. Owned studios Roll7 and Intercept Games are set to be shuttered, while reports have claimed that widespread layoffs have hit Private Division’s own offices as well. Now, another report by IGN claims that things at the company are even more severe than previously feared.
As per the report, Take-Two Interactive is looking to either completely shut down all of Private Division, or alternatively, sell it off. A minimal crew of employees remains at the label to continue supporting Moon Studios’ early access action RPG No Rest for the Wicked, the upcoming Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game, and an unannounced title in development at Game Freak, the rest of the entirety of the company has been laid off, the report claims.
Take-Two has backed Private Division out of a couple of deals in recent years, including with People Can Fly in 2022, and much more recently, with Bloober Team last week. Another game that was reportedly in development at Ghostrunner studio One More Level is also no longer being supported by the label, it’s claimed.
The report further adds that Take-Two Interactive has been trying to sell off the Kerbal Space Program IP, owned by Private Division and developed by the aforementioned and soon-to-be-shuttered Intercept Games. Discussions purportedly took place with Paradox Interactive, though they didn’t lead to anything, and there’s currently no word on what the future holds for the franchise.
On top of that, Take-Two is also looking to sell off Private Division as a whole, with interest reportedly drawn from a private equity firm and discussions being facilitated by “individuals with connections to Moon Studios leadership”. How those discussions will end remains to be seen, however. Incidentally, the report also states that as per sources, reports from 2022 about Moon Studios’ problematic leadership are accurate, with one source describing them as “cruel” and “a nightmare” to work with