2023 was a horrible year for the games industry with its cavalcade of layoffs, resulting in thousands of jobs being cut across a startling number of studios around the world. 2024, sadly, has started off on the wrong foot on that front as well, with game development engine developer Unity announcing a massive round of fresh layoffs.
As reported by Reuters, the company has announced that that between now and the end of March, it will be laying off roughly 25% of its total workforce, which accounts to approximately 1,800 jobs. This is Unity’s fourth round of layoffs in the space of about half a year, and by far the largest it has ever conducted. According to the company, it will “affect all teams, regions, and areas of the business.”
In November, the company said it would be “reducing the number of things we are doing in order to focus on our core business and drive our long-term success and profitability.”
It’s been a tumultuous few months for Unity, even beyond the layoffs. In September, the company announced a new monetization policy for games developed using is engine, which would require payments from developers per install rather than per purchase. The change was proven to be widely unpopular, leading to widespread criticism from the industry, as well as significant decreases in Unity’s share prices.
The company issued an apology not long afterward, and confirmed that it was walking back on number of the controversial changes it had announced. Soon after that announcement, Unity CEO John Riccitiello stepped down, with Jim Whitehurst stepping in as interim CEO.