Wildstar Online developer Carbine Studios has recently lost 60 members of its team following a restructuring of publisher NCSOFT’s studios. That’s according to Polygon.com, who were reportedly contacted by an employee of the studio late yesterday.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the layoffs affected the entire team, and weren’t restricted to senior or entry-level staff. Carbine Studios had employed several hundred workers. Their debut game, MMO Wildstar Online, was released earlier this year to positive reviews. You can read our own 9/10 review here.

Carbine wasn’t the only development studio affected by the restructuring - all of NCSOFT’s western studios have been affected, with the exception of ArenaNet - whose own MMO, Guild Wars 2, is currently experiencing some difficulties after angering its community following changes made to the in-game shop.

In a statement issued yesterday, a spokesperson for NCSOFT had this to say about the layoffs:

Today we announced a restructuring of key operations within NC West. As a result of this restructuring, we are implementing staff reductions across our Western operations with the exclusion of ArenaNet. While decisions like this are always hard, they are necessary as we begin the implementation of a new strategy designed to strengthen our footing as a leader in global entertainment.

Moving forward, we will continue to focus on our core development capabilities and the intellectual properties (WildStar, Aion, Lineage, and Guild Wars franchises) that have made NCSOFT what it is today. However, we are looking to move into new business segments like mobile and tablet games as well as explore emerging technologies.

Again, the decision to reduce staff was not an easy one, and we sincerely wish everyone well in their next endeavors.

We’ve reached out to Carbine to see if they’re willing to discuss the losses. We’ll let you know if we hear anything back.

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Dale Morgan

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When Dale isn't crying over his keyboard about his never-ending workload, he's playing games - lots of them. Dale has a particular love for RPGs, Roguelikes and Metroidvanias.

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