Sega lays off 240 employees while subsidiary Relic goes independent | Pocket Gamer.biz

Sega is cutting 240 employees across Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega HARDlight.

Company of Heroes developer Relic Entertainment, meanwhile, has been sold and it transition into an independent studio.

European cutbacks

GamesIndustry.biz reported that most of Sega’s 240 layoffs are across Sega Europe and Creative Assembly, but a “small number” of HARDLight staff are also set to lose their jobs.

Sports Interactive and Two Point Studios – other Sega subsidiaries – have gone unmentioned and are presumed unaffected directly from the wave of layoffs.

The news comes six months on from Sega axing projects like Creative Assembly’s multiplayer shooter Hyenas, a decision that also saw the studio cut staff.

“I want to sincerely apologise for the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those directly affected,” said Sega Europe head Jurgen Post.

“These decisions have been incredibly tough to make, and they follow meticulous consideration and deliberation with leadership teams across the business.

“We need to streamline, focus on what we are good at, and position ourselves as best we can for the road ahead. In order to do that, we need to respond to the changing economic landscape and the challenges we’re facing in the way we develop our products and bring them to market.”

He also apologised to any staff who might learn of the layoffs through external sources, but attributed this to a legal requirement to inform the Tokyo Stock Exchange before employees.