It is no secret the economy is still in a bad state, and even though many sources claim it is on the rebound, countless employes lose their job everyday. Unfortunately, for workers at Sony Online Entertainment, they also have been affected by the declining economy.
So far this year, SOE has seen a lot of success with the release of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Although these two titles were met with success, it still was not enough to save a huge chunk of the SOE staff. Reports from a Kotaku source has confirmed that closures would affect SOE’s studios in Seattle, Tucson, Ariz. and Denver, in addition to half of the staff at the Austin, Texas office, and a large amount at the San Diego studio. In total, reports are saying a third of SOE workforce will be let go.
This comes off the heals of a Twitter post from Duke Nukem Forever creator George Broussard:
Word that Sony Online Entertainment Seattle is having layoffs and that studio closure is possible.
He later wrote:
SOE Seattle and other studios (Denver is rumored) will be closed tomorrow. Good luck to all impacted.
There still has been no official word from SOE, but we will post any new info as it becomes available.