Report: EVE Online developer Fenris Creations is cutting jobs after going independent

EVE Online developer Fenris Creations, formerly known as CCP Games, is making layoffs around six months after regaining its independence from South Korean publisher Pearl Abyss.

Multiple employees impacted by the cuts shared the news on LinkedIn. "Unfortunately I've been affected by redundancy and so my time at Fenris Creations (previously CCP Games ) has come to an end," wrote one person.

Another former worker, who indicated the layoffs came as a surprise, claimed the cuts were made due to project changes. Others, including those who held QA and engineering roles, posted similar updates. 

Fenris went independent in May after splitting from Pearl Abyss, which purchased the Icelandic studio in 2018 for a reported $425 million (including earnouts).

The studio's new ownership group, which includes its own senior management team and long-term investors, regained control in a transaction valued at $120 million. 

Among those investors was Google, which took a minority stake in the company to bolster the development of AI technology including DeepMind as part of a broader "research partnership."

"The collaboration will explore areas including long-horizon planning, memory, and continual learning, using EVE Online as a uniquely rich environment for study," said Fenris at the time. "Google DeepMind will work with an offline version of EVE Online running on a local server to test and evaluate models in a controlled setting. Together, the partnership will also explore new gameplay experiences enabled by these technologies."

It's unclear how much Google invested in the studio. When announcing its return to independence, Fenris said the pivot would not involve restructuring or layoffs. 

"There are no planned changes to the company’s organizational structure, and its headquarters will remain in Vatnsmýrin, Iceland. Studios in Reykjavík, London, and Shanghai will continue to operate as they do today," it added.

Vertical Slice has approached Fenris for comment.