After having a bang-up 2023, Unity have kicked off 2024 in the same style, unfortunately, by announcing that it will layoff 25% of its workforce, or approximately 1,800 employees.

This comes as part of a continued restructuring effort, though Unity can’t exactly say what the costs it incurred that have resulted in the layoff.

Unity said it cannot “reasonably estimate the costs and charges in connection with this reduction, which it expects will be substantially incurred in the first quarter of 2024.”

Unity laid off hundreds of employees in 2023, and after 2023 in particular was an awful year for games industry layoffs, it’s upsetting to see 2024 continue the same awful trend.

More than staff, Unity lost any amount of trust or respect developers had for the game engine company in 2023, after its announcement and subsequent rollback of its new Runtime Fee policy.

Unity’s handling of the whole scandal played a part in what was likely a bit of an early retirement for former Unity chief executive officer John Riccitello.

Suffice to say a layoff like this doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in Unity, or Riccitello’s interim successor, James M. Whitehurst.

Posted: Jan 13, 2024 3:37 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.psu.com/news/unity-layoff-approximately-1800-employees/