UK VR developer nDreams is conducting a round of layoffs after facing a "challenging VR games market", and could see 17.5% of employees lose their jobs.
nDreams, the studio behind VR games like Synapse, Fracked, Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord, Phantom: Covert Ops, and Little Cities, was acquired last year by gaming conglomerate Aonic. The developer and publisher was purchased for $110 million, after Aonic's initial investment in the company back in 2022.
Henry Stockdale
At the time of the deal, Paul Schempp, CEO of Aonic, said in a statement: "This acquisition is yet another example of Aonic’s commitment to championing mid-sized studios and creating an environment where teams can create fantastic games."
In a statement to Game Developer, who broke the news of the layoffs, nDreams CEO Patrick O'Luanaigh said that the layoffs could affect all levels, including "senior leadership". O'Luanaigh claims that the layoffs will allow nDreams to "better serve current and future audiences in creating medium-defining titles for years to come."
"We are working tirelessly to support our team with the respect and care they deserve throughout this challenging process, including all our efforts to comprehensively assist those whose positions may be impacted to move into new roles within nDreams or elsewhere," he continued.
The VR developer has two upcoming titles coming to Quest headsets and PlayStation VR2 next month; Vendetta Forever and Frenzies. The former is a puzzle-like shooter that offers chaotic action similar to titles like Superhot VR, while the latter is a free-to-play multiplayer shooter.
With nDreams facing layoffs in the coming weeks, that means more people in the gaming industry are out of work. In February 2024, PlayStation laid off 900 employees, and just last week, Xbox laid off 650 more employees. nDreams is just another example in a troublesome few years for the industry.
