It has only been four weeks since Paramount Skydance completed its (rather contentious) $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery to become Skydance Corporation, but the entertainment colossus is already laying off workers within its video game division.
The cuts arrive shortly after Skydance introduced a five-day in-office mandate alongside a 'Voluntary Buyout Program.'
Numerous LinkedIn posts from impacted staff and their co-workers indicate a substantial number of people have been laid off. "My chapter with Skydance and Paramount came to an end today with a layoff," wrote Paramount Games associate design director David Ballard. "[...] It’s a sad day for several of my coworkers who were also affected."
"Skydance just lost a ton of great talent yesterday. I was not affected this time, but so many passionate, hard-working, talented individuals are now competing with thousands of others trying to get their next gig," added Paramount Games lead engineer David Vera. In his post, Vera included the names of 25 people who have seemingly been impacted by the cuts.
Skydance Interactive senior gameplay and game AI programmer, Rebecca Vessal, said most of her team were jettisoned by Skydance Corporation.
Many of those impacted are listed as having worked for Paramount Games or Skydance Interactive—and in some cases, both divisions. That's because Paramount merged Skydance Interactive, the studio behind VR titles Archangel and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, with Skydance New Media in July to form Paramount Games.
Following its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and by extension Warner Bros. Games, Skydance Corporation united its video game divisions under the 'Skydance Games' moniker.
At the time, Skydance president of games and experiences Tony Driscoll said the unified division will work as "one team" to craft "bigger, bolder worlds for fans to explore." An internal FAQ made available to employees stated that individual business units such as WB Games would retain their own brand identity.
Vertical Slice has approached Skydance Corporation for comment.
Chris is an award-winning reporter with over a decade of experience covering the video game industry. He was formerly news editor at Game Developer and is currently the founder and editor of this resplendent website.
