Although full details of who was laid off and which projects are going to be affected by this remain unknown, Sony has confirmed (via IGN) that Sony Santa Monica was hit with layoffs, something they call a “reduction in workforce”:
SCEA can confirm that we have completed a reduction in workforce at Santa Monica Studio. This is a result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas within SCE WWS. We do not take these decisions lightly. However, sometimes it is necessary to make changes to better serve the future projects of the studio.
We have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease transition for those impacted.
In the original report by IGN about the layoffs, the site said “there are indications that one of the projects the studio was working on has been cancelled alongside this round of layoffs,” but the report is unconfirmed as of yet.
The news of these layoffs follows a recent location change for the studio, along with the re-addition of Cory Barlog.
We’ll let you know if we hear anything more regarding these layoffs.
