505 Games parent company Digital Bros announces significant layoffs

Close to a third of the workforce will be cut

Digital Bros, the video games company behind publisher 505 Games, has announced that it would execute an organizational review that looks to cut around 30% of its workforce. Digital Bros is active worldwide with offices in Italy, the UK, US, Germany, France, Spain, China, and Japan.

“The video game market has evolved since the pandemic to be more selective in terms of new games, with consumers increasingly reverting to well established Intellectual Properties and playing these same games for longer periods,” the statement from the company explained.

Ghostrunner 2 earned itself a The Game Awards nomination this year :: One More Level / 505 Games

As a result, efforts will be refocused around the “release of sequels and new versions of previously successful and established games, with a limited number of new larger budgets productions.”

Digital Bros already re-evaluated its project pipeline to serve this new focus and the announced organizational review will align the company structure with those goals.

“The restructuring program is expected to represent a reduction of approximately 30% of the global workforce, with the predominant portion concentrated within the studios,” Digital Bros stated.

505 Games published six titles so far this year, among them Crime Boss: Rockay City, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Miasma Chronicles, and Ghostrunner 2. It has helped ship titles like Remedy Entertainment’s Control and Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding (PC version) in the past. Among the studios owned by Digital Bros is Kunos Simulazioni, the developer behind Italian racing simulation Assetto Corsa Competizione.

This week alone, layoffs were announced at Amazon Games and Humble Games, adding to a sour trend of cost reductions in the games industry.