The video game industry continues to suffer through one of its worst years in history regarding studio closures and job losses. Axis Animation, a studio known for creating several notable cinematics for various games, confirmed it lost 160 jobs and will close permanently.
This studio worked on games such as Halo, Gears of War, League of Legends, and many more. Recently, they worked on an advertisement featuring the popular soccer player, Erling Haaland, in Clash of Clans.
Axis Animation Closes Its Doors, Affecting Many Employees
Located in Scotland, this animation studio has made significant contributions to the video game industry by designing a good deal of spectacular cinematics.
Created in 2000, Axis Animation worked with big names such as the BBC, Netflix, Blizzard, and many other major companies. Unfortunately, the studio confirmed it would permanently close, affecting all its staff.
According to the BBC, the studio appears to have suffered severe financial losses in recent projects and could not keep the company afloat.
Having worked on games like League of Legends, Clash of Clans, Halo, Gears of War, and many more, this news confirms that over 160 people will lose their jobs due to the abrupt closure of the studio. This year has marked one of the most significant losses in the video game industry.
Not Even Working on Big Games Like Gears of War or Halo Could Prevent Closure
Axis Animation has worked across various audiovisual media, including TV, video games, movies, and advertising. This studio’s reputation is impeccable; it has won Emmy awards for its excellent work.
However, despite having an impressive portfolio and a strong resume, it was not enough to keep the business afloat. This year has been one of the most challenging for the industry, as well as everything related to technology.
Erling Haaland, a popular soccer player, collaborated with the famous Clash of Clans to appear as a playable character in one of the studio’s final projects.
Despite this incredible work, the studio confirmed it is no longer profitable, and significant financial losses led to its permanent closure, with many people losing their jobs. According to the studio’s directors, they explored all possible solutions to keep things afloat without success.
This company joins a long list of those affected this year, with over 10,000 jobs lost so far, exceeding last year’s figures. Companies like Microsoft laid off over 1,900 people at the beginning of the year.
Due to purely financial decisions, this company closed several video game studios it acquired less than four years ago, including Tango Gameworks, among others. Everything indicates that this trend is far from over.
What are your thoughts on this latest closure? Let us know in the comments!
