Multiple reports have come in that Zynga have laid off hundreds of employees from their offices in Austin, Chicago and Boston.
The announcement came during the Apple Conference and the teams are reported to have been given two hours to clear their desks. We have yet to receive official confirmation, but initial rumblings suggest that the entire Boston studio was shut down, with dozens more employees following from Austin and Chicago. Affected teams are said to include those behind ‘The Ville’, Indiana Jones Adventure World and a new IP.
Some layoffs are not entirely unexpected with Zynga having been reported to have had financial troubles since 2011, with more bad news being announced in their 2012 Q3 investor call. The scale of the staff cuts is likely a worrying sign for the remaining employees, and investors.
This is the second time this year that a major studio has laid off staff during a major event that would be expected to be occupying media attention. THQ laid off its San Diego studio during E3. We are not the only ones to speculate that the announcement was timed to avoid media attention.
We wish all the best in the future to those affected, and will bring you more on this story as it develops.
Declan Skews
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