Insurgency developer is the latest Embracer Group studio to face layoffs and cancelations

This is, what, the ninth Embracer studio this year?

Insurgency Sandstorm soldiers wearing gas masks and holding gun
Image via New World Interactive

As feared, layoffs within Embracer Group have continued, with its latest victim being New World Interactive, the developer behind the Insurgency tactical shooter series.

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At the time of writing, Embracer hasn’t made an official statement on the matter, but there was chatter of it simply shutting the studio down courtesy of Nick Calandra, co-founder of Second Wind and former editor-in-chief at The Escapist.

On Dec. 4, Calandra claimed to have heard from his sources that New World Interactive is next on the chopping block. A couple of hours later, though, a now former employee of the studio explained on LinkedIn that wasn’t the case… but whatever New World Interactive was working on has been canceled and most of the development team let go. So, don’t be surprised if the studio winds up being shuttered anyway.

“I’m going to miss every single person at NWI,” reads the LinkedIn post, which was shared by Calandra. However, he’s kept the employee’s identity anonymous so as not to bring too much attention to them. “Everyone was an absolute joy to work for and I had an absolute blast every day. Please extend some help and good wishes to them, it’s a rough day right now for the team.”

While many companies have been impacted by layoffs this year, Embracer Group arguably stands head and shoulders above the rest. After splurging on so many studios and promising to release more than 200 games over the next few years, Embracer has since undergone severe restructuring. Off the top of my head, at least eight other studios besides New World Interactive have seen layoffs and cancelled projects. Saints Row studio Volition was sadly shut down in August and there’s even been talk of Borderlands studio Gearbox being sold off less than three years after buying it for $1 billion.

Author
Image of Michael Beckwith
Michael Beckwith
Staff writer at Dot Esports covering all kinds of gaming news. A graduate in Computer Games Design and Creative Writing from Brunel University who's been writing about games since 2014. Nintendo fan and Sonic the Hedgehog apologist. Knows a worrying amount of Kingdom Hearts lore. Has previously written for Metro, TechRadar, and Game Rant.