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Significant Layoffs Downsize Vancouver Game Studio Relic

May 24, 2023 by Knowlton Thomas Leave a Comment

Known for its Warhammer 40,000 series of games, Relic Entertainment is laying off more than 100 staff, the company announced this week.

The game development studio, launched in a small office above a bar in Yaletown in 1997, confirmed the termination of 121 staff members.

This is a rather significant chunk of employees for a company 300-strong.

It is the latest in a string of tech layoffs in BC dating back to early 2022.

“This past year has been incredibly difficult,” confessed Relic’s General Manager Justin Dowdeswell and COO Heidi Eaves in a joint statement. “The combination of significant project delays, rapidly rising costs, high inflation, and foreign exchange rate fluctuations have had a combined negative effect on our business.”

As a result, says Dowdeswell, “the measure of success for a studio of our size has grown, and it has put more pressure on our titles to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace.”

Instead of calling for a major rebound in the market, Relic is choosing to accept its position as a smaller studio in the space.

As a smaller studio, Relic hopes to remain in “a position of strength to continue delivering outstanding experiences to players all over the world.”

“We will continue to support our core titles, including Company of Heroes 3, and our upcoming projects to ensure they’re successful for us,” said Eaves.

Relic Entertainment is owned by Japanese entertainment company SEGA, which acquired the firm in 2013 following the bankruptcy of THQ, Relic’s previous owner.

Filed Under: Layoffs, News Tagged With: Relic

 
 

About Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton Thomas is Editor-in-Chief of The Midway Advance and Senior Writer for Techcouver. Over more than a decade of journalism, he has penned thousands of articles and dozens of essays on technology, health, and culture across a variety of publications.

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