Bossa Studios Cuts One-Third of Employees in Surgeon Simulator Dev Team
Bossa Studios, creator of Surgeon Simulator, undergoes layoffs, impacting a significant portion of their workforce The team now shifts their attention towards Lost Skies, their primary project moving forward
Bossa Studios, known for I Am Bread and the Surgeon Simulator series, reportedly laid off 19 employees, roughly one-third of its workforce, leaving 40 people to work on the cooperative survival-adventure game Lost Skies. Henrique Olifiers, co-founder of the company, confirmed the layoffs, attributing them to a "perfect storm of events," including rising operational costs, delayed funding decisions in the industry, and competition from big holiday games. The company has not released a new game in the past year, but Lost Skies is planned for release this year after being unveiled at the Humble Games Showcase in May.
"As a result of the blue moon situation, we have had to make the difficult decision to restructure the studio to align with our current position at the end of this year, focusing all of our efforts on Lost Skies," Olifiers explained. "Unfortunately, this means that we have had to make the heartbreaking decision to let go of approximately one-third of our studio, including some of our closest colleagues."
The layoffs have come less than a year after Olifiers disclosed to GamesIndustry.biz why Bossa decided to sell its rights to Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread to TinyBuild in order to create Lost Skies. At the time, Olifiers stated: "We are now fully committed to a new direction, and it is necessary for us to have the resources to handle any potential delays or significant investments in this new game we are developing."
In 2023, game developers suffered greatly as major companies such as Ubisoft, Unity, and Amazon Games laid off employees and closed studios. It's estimated that 7,000 jobs were lost, making layoffs and studio closures a significant theme of the year.
Editor's P/S
As a Gen Z netizen, I am deeply saddened by the news of Bossa Studios' layoffs. The gaming industry has been hit hard by the economic downturn, and it's heartbreaking to see talented developers losing their jobs. I understand that the company had to make difficult decisions to stay afloat, but it's still devastating for those affected. I hope that the industry can recover soon and that these developers can find new opportunities.
The layoffs at Bossa Studios also highlight the challenges facing indie game developers. It's incredibly difficult to compete with big-budget games from major publishers, and even successful studios can struggle to stay afloat. I hope that the industry can find ways to support indie developers and ensure that they have a fair chance to succeed.
