This one’s a bummer. Mega-publisher Take-Two Interactive is shuttering Rollerdrome studio Roll7 and Kerbal Area Program 2 group Intercept Video games, in accordance with paperwork seen by Bloomberg.
Roll7 relies in London, and was based in 2008 by lifelong friends Tom Hegarty and Simon Bennett. Roll7 is the studio behind OlliOlli, OlliOlli World and Rollerdrome, all unbelievable video games with wheel-based mechanics. OlliOlli was a Vita hit in 2014 and World landed in early 2022 — they’re each nice, and the latter particularly is a flow-state-inducing skateboarding platformer with an lovable artwork model. Rollerdrome was one in every of our favorite games of 2022; it is a luscious third-person rollerskating-and-gunplay recreation that appears like a slice of Seventies dystopian sci-fi.
Roll7 has picked up a number of prestigious awards through the years, together with latest wins at BAFTA and DICE. Because the studio identify implies, Roll7 builders know the best way to make extremely easy motion video games.
Take-Two purchased Roll7 in November 2021 and made it a subsidiary of Non-public Division, the corporate’s label for small- and mid-size publishing offers. In response to Bloomberg, Take-Two plans to shut Roll7 and can supply severance packages to employees.
Intercept Video games relies in Seattle and is accountable for Kerbal Area Program 2, a preferred flight-simulation title that is nonetheless technically in early entry on Steam. Take-Two based Intercept in 2020 particularly to handle Kerbal Area Program 2, and the sport has been receiving updates since going reside in February 2023.
Take-Two has but to verify that it is closing Intercept Video games — nevertheless it hasn’t mentioned it is not, both. The corporate filed a notice in Washington on Monday outlining plans to put off 70 folks within the state and completely shut their administrative center, and a few Kerbal builders have confirmed their latest departures. Non-public Division will proceed to replace Kerbal Area Program 2, Take-Two mentioned in an announcement.
Take-Two is without doubt one of the largest online game corporations round, reporting $5.3 billion in income final yr. It is the proprietor of Grand Theft Auto and the guardian firm of Rockstar Video games, 2K, Non-public Division, Zynga and — very just lately — Gearbox Software program. Take-Two purchased Borderlands studio Gearbox in March for $460 million. Grand Theft Auto VI, arguably probably the most anticipated recreation of the last decade, is because of add billions to Take-Two’s backside line in 2025.
In April, Take-Two introduced plans to lay off 5 percent of its workers, or roughly 600 folks, by the tip of 2024. It additionally canceled some in-development initiatives. When information of the deliberate firings broke final month, Take-Two did not establish which studios would take the hit, however now we all know it contains Roll7 and Intercept. The corporate laid off some Non-public Division staff in 2023 as properly.
An estimated 9,400 folks have been laid off within the online game trade to this point in 2024, and a complete of 10,500 staff have been let go in 2023. Sony, Microsoft and Riot Video games have fired a mixed 3,300 workers this year alone, and the fallout from Embracer Group’s funding implosion retains spreading, with quite a few shuttered studios and greater than 1,400 displaced workers.
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