UK VR developer nDreams is conducting a spherical of layoffs after going through a “difficult VR video games market”, and will see 17.5% of staff lose their jobs.
nDreams, the studio behind VR video games like Synapse, Fracked, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, Phantom: Covert Ops, and Little Cities, was acquired final yr by gaming conglomerate Aonic. The developer and writer was bought for $110 million, after Aonic’s preliminary funding within the firm again in 2022.
Aonic Group Acquires nDreams For $110 Million
nDreams has been acquired by Aonic Group for $110 million.
On the time of the deal, Paul Schempp, CEO of Aonic, stated in a press release: “This acquisition is yet one more instance of Aonic’s dedication to championing mid-sized studios and creating an surroundings the place groups can create incredible video games.”
In a press release to Recreation Developer, who broke the information of the layoffs, nDreams CEO Patrick O’Luanaigh stated that the layoffs might have an effect on all ranges, together with “senior management”. O’Luanaigh believes that this restructuring will profit gamers, permitting the developer to “higher serve present and future audiences in creating medium-defining titles for years to return.”
“We’re working tirelessly to assist our crew with the respect and care they deserve all through this difficult course of, together with all our efforts to comprehensively help these whose positions could also be impacted to maneuver into new roles inside nDreams or elsewhere,” he continued.
The VR developer has two upcoming titles coming to Quest headsets and PlayStation VR2 subsequent month; Vendetta Ceaselessly and Frenzies. The previous is a puzzle-like shooter that gives chaotic motion much like titles like Superhot VR, whereas the latter is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter.
With nDreams going through layoffs within the coming weeks, meaning extra individuals within the gaming business are out of labor. In February 2024, PlayStation laid off 900 staff, and simply final week, Xbox laid off 650 extra staff. nDreams is simply one other instance in a difficult few years for the business.
