Sega Europe has announced layoffs affecting around 240 roles across Creative Assembly, SEGA Europe, and Hardlight, alongside the decision to sell Relic Entertainment, the developer of Company of Heroes and Dawn of War. The move comes as part of a streamlining effort to secure the future of the games business, with Sega Europe's managing director citing the need to respond to the changing economic landscape. This marks the latest in a series of layoffs within the gaming industry, prompting criticism from unions and workers advocating for fair treatment and job security.
Sega Europe announces layoffs affecting approximately 240 roles at Sega Europe, Creative Assembly, and Hardlight, as well as the sale of Relic Entertainment. The company is working to secure the future of its games business and has multiple projects in development. The layoffs come amidst a challenging time for developers in the video game industry, with previous layoffs and cancellations affecting various studios. Additionally, Sega of America recently laid off staff and ratified a contract with AEGIS-CWA union members.
Sega has sold Relic Entertainment and will cut 240 jobs across its UK studios, impacting Creative Assembly, Sega HARDlight, and Sega Europe. Relic will transition to an independent studio, and the majority of the job cuts will be at Creative Assembly and Sega Europe, with a small number at Sega HARDlight. The decision comes as part of Sega's efforts to streamline and focus on its core strengths in response to the changing economic landscape and challenges in game development and market.
Creative Assembly, the developer of Total War games, has issued an apology to its community for a series of missteps, including the release of Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC and the struggling Total War: Pharaoh. The company has promised to work towards a more transparent and consistent relationship with its players. As a gesture of goodwill, Creative Assembly will provide additional content for the controversial Shadows of Change DLC and issue partial refunds to customers who purchased Total War: Pharaoh, which has received mixed reviews and low player numbers. The studio is not closing the door on future updates for Total War: Pharaoh and will focus on RTS games moving forward.
Creative Assembly, the developer of Total War: Warhammer 3 and Total War: Pharaoh, has apologized for the state of the games and is offering partial refunds to Pharaoh owners and free DLC as a way to make amends. The studio acknowledges the frustration and distrust from the community and promises to improve communication and incorporate player feedback. They also plan to release major updates and delay the release of the next expansion to ensure better quality and transparency.
Developer Creative Assembly has apologized for its DLC plans and announced changes for Total War: Warhammer 3 and Total War: Pharaoh. The release date for the Warhammer 3 DLC, Thrones of Decay, has been pushed back to April 2024, while players who purchased the Shadows of Change DLC will receive additional content in February at no extra cost. Total War: Pharaoh will now receive its first new content as a free update in early 2024, with a price drop to $39.99 and partial refunds for existing owners. Creative Assembly also removed Deluxe and Dynasty editions of the game from digital storefronts. The changes come after criticism of the DLC pricing and the cancellation of Creative Assembly's Hyenas extraction shooter.
Total War Warhammer 3 developer, Creative Assembly, has apologized for the recent Shadows of Change DLC and announced the delay of Thrones of Decay. The studio has also issued partial refunds to Total War Pharaoh players and removed deluxe versions of the game from sale. Creative Assembly acknowledges their mistakes and promises to improve their relationship with the community. They plan to release a major update for Shadows of Change in February 2024 and launch Thrones of Decay in April 2024. Additionally, a new update for Total War Pharaoh will be released, and players will receive the first paid DLC for free.
Developer Creative Assembly has announced that it will remove community members who engage in disruptive behavior, such as doomsaying, calls for boycotts, or spreading misinformation, on the Steam forums for Total War Warhammer 3. This comes after the community expressed concerns over the increased pricing of the game's DLC. The developer emphasizes that constructive criticism is welcome, but disruptive and non-constructive behavior will not be tolerated.
Insider reports suggest that Sega's decision to cancel the upcoming PVPVE shooter Hyenas was influenced by a variety of factors. These include the game's departure from unique concepts for mass appeal, a difficult engine change during development, and a lack of clear direction. The struggles at Creative Assembly began before Hyenas, with the underperformance of Alien Isolation leading to key developers leaving the studio. The game's concept became increasingly generic, and it shifted from a premium model to free-to-play with microtransactions. Despite being Sega's biggest budget game, the cancellation was seen as a necessary financial decision. However, developers are frustrated with the leadership decisions that led to this outcome.
A new report claims that Hyenas, the cancelled loot shooter from Creative Assembly, was Sega's biggest budget game ever. Anonymous developers revealed a "total lack of direction" and poor internal feedback, leading to the game's demise. Hyenas transitioned from a premium game to a free-to-play model with microtransactions before being cancelled. The development process was marked by uncertainty and confusion, with changes to characters and a shift in tone. Film director Neill Blomkamp provided feedback on the game's direction, and sources revealed that Sega Japan had a significant presence at the UK office. Despite the cancellation, some developers are not angry with Sega but express frustration with the leadership.
Sega has canceled the development of the space extraction shooter game, Hyenas, along with several other unannounced games as part of "structural reforms" in its European operations. Creative Assembly, the studio behind Hyenas, is now facing potential layoffs. Sega attributed the cancellations and layoffs to lower profits in the UK due to reduced demand for games after the lifting of COVID-19 lockdowns and an economic downturn in Europe. The trend of layoffs and game cancellations continues to affect the gaming industry in 2023.
Sega has unexpectedly canceled the extraction shooter game Hyenas from Creative Assembly, citing economic downturn and lowered profitability in its European business. The cancellation has led to fears of significant layoffs at Creative Assembly, with staff expecting massive cuts across the company. Sega had expressed concerns about Hyenas prior to its cancellation and is also canceling other unannounced titles in development. Creative Assembly has confirmed that layoffs are expected and will prioritize supporting affected employees.
Sega has canceled Creative Assembly's first-person shooter game, Hyenas, along with some unannounced titles, citing lower profitability in the European region. Layoffs are expected at Creative Assembly as a result. Sega plans to implement cost reductions and expects to incur losses of approximately 14.3 billion yen for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.
SEGA has announced the cancellation of the multiplayer shooter game 'Hyenas' along with other unnamed projects due to lower profitability in the European region. The decision comes as a surprise, considering the game was in closed beta and received positive feedback. Developer Creative Assembly has also initiated a redundancy consultation process, potentially leading to job losses.
Sega has cancelled the development of Hyenas, a multiplayer extraction shooter by Creative Assembly, citing lowered profitability in European bases. The cancellation came as a surprise to staff, who now face redundancy, as Sega implements structural reforms to increase efficiency and reduce fixed expenses. The decision may result in job losses across the company. Creative Assembly confirmed the redundancy consultation process and expressed commitment to delivering exciting game experiences in the future.
