As previous reports had suggested, Guitar Hero Live developer Freestyle Games has been hit by a string of layoffs. At the time of writing, Activision didn’t disclose the exact number of employees affected.
In accordance with UK labor laws, a mandatory “consolation” period is the reason behind the delayed reaction, though the publisher confirmed to Game Informer that the redundancies are an effort to restructure the studio “following a dip in causal game performance.”
Activision and FreeStyleGames leadership have been considering a range of future options for the studio, and have been consulting with staff to explore all alternatives. The collective team have now reached the end of a consultation exercise and the decision has been made to restructure FreeStyleGames to better align the studio resources with future business needs. We are working with the studio teams to explore options to rebalance staff within Activision Blizzard and its related organisations.
The UK remains a key market for Activision Blizzard and FreeStyleGames continues to be a great partner. We thank all of the team for their continued passion, creativity and commitment.
Support for Guitar Hero Live will continue via the Guitar Hero TV component, with Activision noting that Freestyle will remain open despite today’s layoffs.
[Source: Game Informer]
