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- Take-Two is looking to sell or close Private Division following mass layoffs | The Midweek Memo #021
Take-Two is looking to sell or close Private Division following mass layoffs | The Midweek Memo #021
In another sobering week for the industry, job cuts and studio closures have also been announced at Avalanche Studios and Behaviour Interactive.
Hitmarker
June 05, 2024
Hello 👋
Unfortunately, we're back with another rather gloomy newsletter this week, as layoffs and closures continue to wreak havoc in the industry.
Firstly, Take-Two Interactive looks set to sell or close its indie publishing label, Private Division, after laying off a large portion of its workforce. This follows reports that Intercept Games and Roll7 will also shut their doors.
Elsewhere, Avalanche Studios, the developer of Just Cause, and Behaviour Interactive, the studio behind Dead by Daylight, have announced job cuts, with the former closing two offices.
In lighter news, Amazon is producing a new live-action series based on Like a Dragon which will premiere later this year. PlayStation has revealed a cute Astro Bot platformer. And Ikea is opening a store in Roblox, complete with paid staff. 😅
Hot Jobs 🔥
This week's list is stacked with entry and junior-level positions across North America.
[1] Esports Solutions Manager
🏢 Extron 🇺🇸 Raleigh, NC 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 5+ years exp
[2] Online Programmer Intern
🏢 Haven Studios 🇨🇦 Montréal, QC 📄 Internship 🎚️ 0+ years exp
[3] Gameplay Scripting Intern
🏢 Beenox 🇨🇦 Montréal or Quebec, QC 📄 Internship 🎚️ 0+ years exp
[4] Sales Manager
🏢 Esports Charts 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 2+ years exp
[5] UI Technical Designer
🏢 Full Circle 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Remote US/Canada 📄 Full Time🎚️ 1+ year exp
[6] Workplace Experience Ambassador
🏢 Unity 🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 0+ years exp
[7] Marketing and Community Manager
🏢 Elsewhere 🇺🇸 San Francisco, CA 📄 Contract 🎚️ 1+ year exp
[8] Influencer Marketing Coordinator
🏢 Nintendo 🇺🇸 Redmond, WA 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 1+ year exp
[9] Mobile Game Tester
🏢 Yodo1 🗺️ Remote Anywhere 📄 Full Time 🎚️ 1+ year exp
[10] Associate Project Manager
🏢 Santa Monica Studio 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, CA 📄 Contract 🎚️ 2+ years exp
220+ new opportunities have been posted to our platform this week. Given recent events, we hope these are of some use. 🤞🤞
Big News 📰
Early last month, it was reported that Take-Two was planning to close developers Intercept Games and Roll7 following significant job cuts at the studios. CEO Strauss Zelnick denied the claims, but an Intercept manager later confirmed the team was being let go.
According to a new report from IGN, if Take-Two is unable to sell Private Division, both the studios and the label will close. This comes after it was reported that the "vast majority" of its employees were being laid off at the publisher.
The anonymous sources also claim that small teams remain at Private Division and Roll7 to support recent titles and "tie up loose ends." Intercept is also expected to close on June 28.
Other News 🗞️
Avalanche Studios plans to lay off approximately 50 employees and close both of its North American studios in New York and Montréal, the latter of which opened only eight months ago. Behaviour Interactive has also announced a 7% reduction in its workforce, with many at its Montréal HQ.
Following the excellent adaptation of Fallout, Amazon is returning with Like A Dragon: Yakuza, based on Sega's beloved and wacky RPG series of the same name. It will be released later this year, with Ryoma Takeuchi starring as Kiryu Kazuma.
Sony's recent State of Play revealed Team Asobi's first full-length, non-VR game featuring the adorable Astro Bot, simply titled "Astro Bot". It will be packed with PlayStation references, and we've already seen the Parappa the Rapper outfit.
The most bizarre happening this week was Ikea's opening of a virtual store inside Roblox, to be run by remote employees. For those who have dreamed of being paid to sell virtual Swedish furniture, you're in luck! 😆
Take a look at two of our most-viewed LinkedIn posts from the last seven days, beginning with a post starring a completely normal-looking Princess Peach:
Bald Peach has spent her time in another castle gathering 17 brand-new entry-level positions for our latest thread!
Ubisoft, CD Projekt, Activision's Beenox, and none other than Nintendo are all looking for interns in a range of departments, while Arise is looking for remote community management staff based in the UK.
Entry-level positions are always in high demand and frequently appear on our platform! Check back often to avoid missing out, as they're very competitive and usually don’t stay open very long.
This Kickstarter-funded indie RPG wowed us all this week with a new trailer showcasing its incredible unique art and animation styles.
"Meifumado" from Old Bit Studio takes place in a Japan-inspired post-apocalyptic world during a war between various factions that players can select at the start of the game.
Its RPG elements are an important part of its gameplay and story, as player choices influence the outcome of various events throughout the game. The gory combat system will also be in-depth, with a variety of melee and ranged attacks, as well as timed parries and dodges.
Meifumado is set to release in November on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, with the game currently available for wishlisting on Steam.
Cool Resources 🧱
In case you missed it, we have released a new and improved version of our "Gaming Professions" graphic, with over 100 formatting and content changes based on your feedback!
We’ve also updated our “Complete List of Gaming Jobs” article in our Career Advice section, to ensure it matches up.
Whether you're looking for ways to advance your career, gain a better understanding of the industry, or explore the many opportunities in gaming, we hope you find it useful!
You can also download a high-quality full-size, printable version of it here.
Peace ✌️
Layoffs and closures are seemingly routine these days. They’re not fun to write about but are even worse to be involved in.
As always, we wish nothing but the best for anyone affected by cuts. The past few years have been incredibly rough for the gaming industry, with an estimated 10,000+ job losses in 2024 alone.
Still, we hope some of the jobs we’ve shared here are useful and the other snippets of good news have given you something to look forward to. We're excited to binge Like A Dragon: Yakuza towards the end of the year!
See you same time next week,
Danny and the gang at Hitmarker 🧡