The video games industry saw massive layoffs in 2023. This year seems to be going no different so far as Black Forest Games, the developer working on the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin game has laid off nearly 50% of its staff.
Black Forest Games is the studio behind Cold War-era alien invasion titles Destroy All Humans remakes. The studio is a subsidiary of THQ Nordic which is owned by Embracer Group and has been going through restructuring to cut costs.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was teased by Paramount earlier last year and a teaser trailer was released in August 2023. Since then there has been no official information on the game and its development but it seems like the game’s future might be in trouble.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin Hit With Layoffs, Workforce Cut In Half
As reported by Kotaku, Black Forest Games announced the layoffs on January 24 which has cut the workforce in half and the studio management has promised staff to provide more information by next week. The report also adds that the studio had 110 employees in 2023, meaning that the headcount could come down to nearly 55 workers.
A source also confirmed Kotaku that creative directors and most managers “if not all” are safe from layoffs and will not be affected. The website of Black Forest Games mentions that it has over 100 employees, even if that’s true, the number of workers would have come down to 50. Black Forest Games, THQ Nordic, or Embracer Group have not yet issued any statement about the layoffs but it is expected to be issued when the company provides more information to its staff.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is a darker take on the franchise and is inspired by popular God of War games. The game is said to be a single-player action RPG with a mature tone and will target an older audience of the franchise. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is slated to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC but does not have a release date yet and it might be a while before that.
Back in March 2023, Doug Rosen, senior vice president for games and emerging media at Paramount Global stated that the game is years away from release and the recent layoffs could mean that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will have to wait more before they get any information on the game and its potential release.
Since fewer people are working on the game, it could push the project back with extra time for development, meaning that players will have to wait for an extended period. Moreover, this could also affect the scope of the game and with only 55 workers working, it could result in a poor final result.
This could also dampen the excitement of the fans looking forward to the game and they have high expectations from the developers owing to the studio’s great work with the remakes. What are your thoughts about the layoffs at Black Forest Games? How do you think it could affect Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin? Let us know in the comment section below.
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