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Deck Nine Games, the studio recognized for its critically acclaimed titles such as Life is Strange: True Colors and The Expanse: A Telltale Series, has recently announced a significant reduction in its workforce.

In a report from Eurogamer, the layoffs amount to approximately 20% of its total staff.

This decision comes as Deck Nine attributes the layoffs to what it describes as the "worsening market conditions" prevalent in the gaming industry.

About Deck Nine Games

Besides Life is Strange, the studio is also notably known for its stewardship of Square Enix's popular supernatural narrative adventure series, Only that Life is Strange has left a lasting impact with titles like 2017's Life is Strange:

Before the Storm, the recent Life is Strange: True Colors, and its contribution to the remastered version of the series' original installment developed by Don't Nod Entertainment in 2022. In addition to its involvement in the Life is Strange franchise, Deck Nine collaborated on a prequel to the beloved sci-fi television series The Expanse, alongside the revived Telltale Games.

In Deck Nine Games' statement on social media, the studio acknowledged the difficulties posed by the current market conditions in the gaming industry, expressing regret over the necessity of such actions.

The studio emphasized the talent and contributions of the affected employees, urging potential employers to consider hiring them due to their remarkable skills and capabilities.

This marks the second instance of job cuts at Deck Nine within less than a year. In May of the previous year, the studio announced another round of layoffs, affecting 30 individuals, although it did not disclose the reasons behind the decision at that time.

A Trend of Layoffs

This trend is not exclusive to Nine Deck Games. VCPost also reported that Sony will shut down its Nintendo studio in London and lay off 8% of its workforce.

Eurogamer details that over 9,000 industry employees experienced job layoffs the previous year alone. The trend of layoffs has continued into the current year, with over 7,000 job cuts announced within the first two months of 2024.

Until Dawn developer, Supermassive, and Saltsea Chronicles studio, Die Gute Fabrik also left its entire team seeking new opportunities.