Midnight Society, the gaming studio originally co-founded by under-fire streamer Guy Beahm a.k.a. Dr Disrespect and responsible for creating DEADROP, has announced it’s cutting staff today following a tumultuous few months that included financial struggles and the Doc’s forced departure due to inappropriately messaging a minor.
Co-founder Robert Bowling released a statement on Sept. 10 on Midnight Society’s Discord server announcing a “significant workforce reduction” due to “multiple unexpected challenges in recent months.” Bowling added these measures are “designed to strengthen our foundation and renew focus on our core mission,” and that DEADROP is still on track for a release in 2025—but that Midnight Society would share “revised plans and milestones” in coming weeks.
DEADROP content creator JOK5RR alleged on X/Twitter that “roughly 50 percent” of the newcomer gaming studio was laid off, but Midnight Society has not shared exactly how many staff are gone. It’s a brutal but not unexpected outcome for the DEADROP team who have kept their heads down after the allegations and the subsequent admission from Beahm that he used Twitch’s messaging system to explicitly message a minor back in 2020.
Beahm was dropped by Midnight Society when allegations arose in July 2024—the same allegations that, despite originally admitting fault, Beahm’s now fighting. His diehard fans are too, with many responding to today’s layoff announcement with “I told you so” and blaming the original whistleblower that caused Beahm to come forward. Regardless of what comes of Beahm’s return to streaming, he almost certainly won’t return to Midnight Society in any way.
As for EADROP (a vertical extraction shooter announced in 2021) remains set for a 2025 release. We have seen DEADROP playtests delayed in the past though, and with the supposed halved workforce, it’s further delays may beset the shooter.
