Gaming layoffs have become a familiar feature of industry, and now Dreamhaven – established in 2020 and publisher of multiplayer titles Wildgate and Sunderfolk – has announced that its been forced into stripping its team.
CEO Mike Morhaim has insisted that internal studios Moonshot Games and Secret Door have not been impacted by this, stating that the layoffs were made in the publishing group.
Despite this, more specific details about how many employees were laid off have not been revealed.
Dreamhaven Layoffs
Two games have been developed and recently released by Dreamhaven Wildgate – a PvP multiplayer shooter that also features ship-to-ship combat in space – and Sunderfolk, a game described as a shared turn-based tactical RPG experience where additional players can get involved with the use of a companion mobile app.
While both games seem to have positive reviews on Steam, that doesn’t seem to have translated into enough financial success to prevent downsizING. Morhaime also referred to other projects being in the works that are unaffected by these layoffs.
Moonshot Games and Secret Door
As the internal developers that are working on the above titles, it could be the case that this isn’t where the layoffs occurred – especially given Morhaime’s statement about the development of these titles being unaffected.
In the LinkedIn post announcing the layoffs, Morhaime said, “these choices are never easy – they affect talented colleagues who have played a key role in building Dreamhaven’s foundation and supporting what has been an eventful year for us.
“From organising the Dreamhaven Showcase to helping launch three games, every person at Dreamhaven has contributed to sharing our games with the world. I’m deeply grateful for the creativity, dedication, and hard work of the teammates we are parting ways with.”
Financial Struggles and Handling Layoffs
Dreamhaven’s financial struggles were previously reported by Bloomberg, where internal emails talked about their expenses outpacing their income.
However, given the current, increasing role gaming unions are playing in the industry, some will be happy to hear of how Dreamhaven is apparently looking to support employees throughout this process.
“We recognise that this comes at a time when far too many in our industry are facing similar challenges,” a statement read.
“To support our colleagues in their next steps, we’ve provided separation packages and benefits coverage.”
Morhaime also stated that Dreamhaven was working with Amir Satvat’s Games Community to find further opportunities for these affected employees.
