The developer behind Guild Wars 2 has announced a major restructuring is coming at the company. The developer confirmed it is laying off an undisclosed number of staff.
In good news for fans of Guild Wars, the developer has vowed that these changes will not affect services in the MMO.
IGN reached out to ArenaNet for comment, and the company confirmed the layoffs, clarifying that these layoffs are part of the overal strategy of restructuring within ArenaNet’s parent company, NCSOFT.
The company has been going through a rough time lately, mostly down to a lack of new releases and declining interest in their existing products. ArenaNet’s last release, the Path of Fire expansion for Guild Wars 2, launched in September 2017.
“We can confirm that due to the cancellation of unannounced projects, ArenaNet will make staff reductions. This is part of a larger organizational restructuring within NCSOFT in the west, but the Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 game services will not be affected, nor is any upcoming game content canceled.”
In a company e-mail, Songyee Yoon, CEO of NCSOFT West said that the company needed to undergo some tough times to ensure a future for their games and the rest of the employees. “Where we are is not sustainable, and is not going to set us up for future success,” Yoon said in a statement.
And in another bit of bittersweet news, at least the affected employees are getting some limited severance pay and other benefits. ArenaNet will reportedly be giving out two months severance to those losing their jobs. So at least they didn’t layoff hundreds of employees with no notice, or close a studio with no severance.
The number of affected employees is unknown, and may not be known for some time. Internal rumblings paint a picture of uncertainty as people wait to find out if they’ll have a job next week or not. Currently, an estimated 400 people work at the studio, with a number of in-production projects, although it remains to be seen if the public statements hold true in the future. We wish the best of luck to those affected by these changes.
