“Yesterday was a difficult day for Humble Games and we can confirm that we had to say goodbye to some valued colleagues. Like many other businesses this year, trends are forcing us to restructure to ensure long-term success“, commented the studio in the columns of Game Developer. “We want to emphasize that everyone impacted is as dedicated as they are talented, and that they have had a huge impact on us. We will continue to honor our relationships with our incredible independent partners to share their experiences around the world for years to come.“
Lead in the wing
Humble Games began its publishing activity in 2017 with two high-profile projects, theearly access of Slay the Spire and the console version of A Hat in Time. Since then, the publisher has followed up big successes, like Signalis and Unpacking, with more confidential releases, like Next Space Rebels or Dodgeball Academia. Their upcoming news remains quite busy despite the layoffs, notably with On Your Tail, a Mediterranean investigation game recently revealed in yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, or the roguelite Wizard of Legend 2.
We do not yet know if these layoffs will impact hopes first party of Humble Games, which recently announced that it wanted to establish closer and closer ties with its usual partners by acquiring them outright. No lucky one has yet accepted this open marriage proposal. However, Executive Vice President Alan Patmore also wanted to expand their efforts second party by acquiring intellectual franchises to lend to their partners. The Wizard of Legend universe was explicitly mentioned in this context. Let’s see how the publisher pivots in the coming months.
In 2022, the parent company Humble had already carried out around ten downsizing in its engineering and e-commerce teams, wishing to focus on “key growth sectors“.