Thomas Hinss
Aussie Commentator and Writer
UK based racing developer Codemasters has been hit with staff layoffs, according to a recent Eurogamer report. It has been reported that 50 jobs are under review, with a 30 day consultation period set to occur with 30 or more of those jobs being cut. Globally around 500 people work for the Southam based developer.
It has been revealed by Eurogamer that designers and artists on the Grid and Dirt team are in the danger zone, with programmers and production staff safe.
The F1 team of the developer, currently working on the next Formula One game for the PS4 and Xbox One have been unaffected by the cuts, with development on that game and other current active projects continuing.
A new Dirt game which was to be announced for an Early Access-style release in February may not occur when planned. With the car licences required for the game yet to be obtained this release date seems unlikely.
Eurogamer reports that the team working on the next Dirt game has been downsized, with under 20 people on the project compared to the 50 or more that worked on Grid Autosport.
Senior management is yet to confirm how many from each department are remaining in the company, reportedly with many staff only finding out about the consultation in recent days.
“As a result of this review, a small number of roles have been proposed as being at risk of redundancy. Those in potentially affected roles are now involved in a consultation period to discuss the proposal. The proposal does not affect the on-going production of titles in development and no projects have been cancelled as a result of the proposal,” Eurogamer was told by a company spokesperson.