Heart breaking news has out of Take-Two as Intercept Games becomes the latest casualty of corporate America. Gamedeveloper.com reported on a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice was filed in Washington state that reveals the closure of Intercept Games.
Sadly, 70 developers have lost their jobs following the studio closure. Take Two, in statement to IGN, said the following:
On April 16th, Take-Two announced a cost reduction program to identify efficiencies across its business and to enhance the Company’s margin profile, while still investing for growth. As part of these efforts, the Company is rationalizing its pipeline and eliminating several projects in development and streamlining its organizational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs. The Company is not providing additional details on this program.
On April 18th Private Division successfully launched Moon Studio’s No Rest for the Wicked. The label continues to make updates to Kerbal Space Program 2 and plans to release Wētā Workshop Game Studio’s Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game in the second half of 2024.
As the story was developing, Bloomberg confirmed the closure of Roll7, the studio responsible for OlliOlli World, as well.
Many had been expecting such developments since last month when Take-Two announced it was laying off 5% of its workforce. With less than a year to go until the release of the highly anticipated video game, GTA 6, the layoff of so many workers has caused significant backlash from online commentators and gamers.
