UK developer Codemasters, which is known for its racing games, has reportedly been hit by layoffs. According to Eurogamer’s sources, around 50 jobs are under review at the moment, and over 30 positions are set to close as part of a month-long consultation period. We’re told that around 500 people are employed by the company worldwide.
Most of the redundancies seem to be happening at the Codemasters’ headquarters in Southam, Warwickshire. Affected departments include the company’s brand and IT departments. A source, who requested to remain anonymous, said that while programmers and production staff are safe, designers and artists on the Grid and DiRT team aren’t. The Birmingham-based F1 team, which is currently working on a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One title in the series, is apparently unaffected. According to a statement given to Eurogamer:
As Codemasters continues its programme of strategic realignment in line with market changes, the company has reviewed its current structures to focus on areas of increased importance and decrease resources in areas where work requirements have been reduced.
As a result of this review, a small number of roles have been proposed as being at risk of redundancy. Those in potentially affected roles are now involved in a consultation period to discuss the proposal. The proposal does not affect the on-going production of titles in development and no projects have been cancelled as a result of the proposal.
Our best wishes go out to all those who have been affected by this.
[Source: Eurogamer]
