Sumo Digital has made the decision to cut all possible manpower from working on original IPs to focus on aiding partners. It leaves some projects in uncertain limbo.
The British developer shared this info to employees, VGC reports. While the studio has garnered a reputation for its work on partner IPs, it also has some original content, such as Snake Pass, as well as some original IP games in the works.
Based on how it sounds, we assume the studio did undergo a bout of layoffs, but at this time, it isn’t clear to what degree the studio faced. Now, the studio has backing from Chinese tech giant Tencent, which acquired it back in 2022, and just last year a substantial number of Sumo Digital staff lost their jobs, to the tune of 15%.
“After careful consideration, we have made the strategic decision to focus Sumo Digital exclusively on development services for partners – our core strength and the foundation of our success.
This will strengthen our position as a premium development partner, leveraging our expertise to contribute to and create great games for our clients. Whether collaborating on new or established games, co-developing games, providing specialist engineering, or porting services; we are confident in our teams’ exceptional talent and our ability to thrive in this next chapter.
Unavoidably this transition will have an impact on our studios and people. We are committed to minimising this impact as much as possible, exploring all options to retain talent, and supporting those affected with transparency, care, and compassion.”
Within its new guidelines, it’s worked Sony on Sackboy: A Big Adventure, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Game, Team Sonic Racing, and more.
