IO Interactive sheds half its work force

Danish developer, IO Interactive, has announced that nearly half of its staff have been let go, in a move that is designed to restructure the company to make it more streamlined, in order to continue development on further Hitman games. Everything but projects related to Hitman have now been cancelled.

IO Interactive is currently a subsidiary of Square Enix. A spokesperson for the publishing giant said:“We are making significant changes at IO Interactive as we align our business against a changing and challenging market. Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO.”

The latest Hitman game failed to make much of an impact

“The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new AAA Hitman project,” they continued. “However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today’s market.”

However, project wise, this shouldn't be too much of a change, as IO has historically only worked on a few select franchises, including the Kane and Lynch games and a one off Mini Ninjas title.

The Square Enix representative went on (via GamesIndustry) to say that the company was grateful for the efforts of its developers and that it hoped to be able to relocate staff instead of firing them. It is also talking with other developers in an effort to help laid off employees find more work.

KitGuru Says: Another developer getting chopped up. Here's hoping those involved are able to find work before long. 

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