Replace (06/30/25): Do not Nod has confirmed reviews of layoffs at its Montreal studio. In an announcement handed to Eurogamerthe French firm mentioned it made the choice to proceed with a spherical of layoffs after ending work on Misplaced Data: Bloom & Rage.
“This resolution was taken after exploring all different prospects and finally displays the difficult actuality of sustaining sustainable operations in a troublesome financial context for Do not Nod,” reads the assertion. “We wish to sincerely thank each workforce member affected for his or her dedication and contributions all through the event of Misplaced Data. Their expertise and dedication have been instrumental in bringing the challenge to life.”
The corporate did not disclose how many individuals have been laid off—however social media posts shared by staff final week described the cuts as a “wave of layoffs” and indicated the information got here as a shock.
Unique story: Do not Nod Montréal (DNM) has reportedly laid off an undisclosed variety of staff throughout a number of departments.
By way of LinkedIn, a number of builders have introduced their departures after what they name a “wave of layoffs” on the studio. This consists of QA lead Sandra Comierprincipal cinematic artist Mary Pouliottechnical artist Laurent Dufresneand senior sport and stage designer Mathieu Tremblay.
“Though I used to be anticipating this dreadly fatality that’s now a behavior within the business, it got here to me as an actual shock,” Pouliot wrote. “I didn’t anticipate that this morning when waking up and going to the studio. However there it’s. No cinematic artist anymore at DNM.”
“I would wish to say I am shocked however I feel the dread throughout all the video video games business in the previous couple of years has been a relentless we have all handled each day, and began to really feel numb to,” Dufresne mentioned.
Each Dufresne and Tremblay mentioned that the work put into the studio’s newest title, Misplaced Data: Bloom and Ragewas a “miracle” given the circumstances.
“The omnipresent waves of layoffs in our business lastly obtained to us after the discharge of Bloom and Rage. Sadly whereas we managed what seems like a miracle given circumstances, it did not seem to be sufficient to maintain our comparatively small workforce complete and a non-insignificant chunk of it was misplaced at present,” mentioned Dufresne.
Again in September 2024, Do not Nod mentioned that its earlier releases, Jusant and Banishers: Ghosts of New Edendidn’t obtain the industrial outcomes the corporate had hoped for, with each promoting “nicely under” expectations.
The next month, CEO Oskar Guilbert launched an announcement mentioning a “reorganization challenge” that might end in as much as 69 jobs being eradicated. French sport improvement union STJV condemned the choice, calling it “the climax of a sequence of catastrophic choices, denounced for a very long time by staff.”
In January this 12 months, the union referred to as on Do not Nod employees to enact an prolonged strike in help of staff susceptible to layoffs. The strike was authorised by round 90 p.c of staff who voted in a basic meeting. After negotiations and strike motion, STJV lower a deal with Do not Nod to widen the scope for voluntary redundancies, which might save as much as 23 jobs by permitting extra individuals to think about accepting a voluntary severance package deal—versus a choose few staff being pressured out of the door. It stays unclear whether or not at present’s wave of layoffs is expounded to that reorganization challenge.
Sport Developer has reached out to Do not Nod for touch upon the matter.
