Scottish mobile developer Outplay Entertainment cuts 15% of staff to “align operations with current business realities”

Entertainment

“This was not a decision we took lightly,” CEO says

Entertainment Outplay Entertainment
Image credit: Outplay Entertainment

Outplay Entertainment has cut more than 20 jobs to “align [its] operations with current business realities.”

The Dundee, Scotland-based studio, self-described as “the largest independent mobile game developer in the UK,” states on its website that it employs 135 staff, although it’s unclear if this figure includes the 21 roles that have been laid off. That’s around 15% of its headcount.

In a statement to MobileGamer, CEO Douglas Hare said: “Earlier this week, Outplay made the difficult decision to restructure parts of the business, which has affected as many as 21 team members across several departments.

“This step was taken to align our operations with current business realities and to support a strategic shift toward partnering with publishers for future game releases.

“This was not a decision we took lightly,” Hare concluded. “We are incredibly grateful to the talented individuals affected, many of whom have made lasting contributions to our games and culture. We are doing everything we can to support them through this transition.”

Outplay develops a number of licensed mobile games, including Gordon Ramsay’s Chef Blast, Angry Birds Pop!, and Subway Surfers Blast.

Over 2200 developers have lost their jobs in 2025 so far, with cuts and closures at Freejam, Splash Damage, Piranha Games, Jar of Sparks, Ubisoft, ProbablyMonsters, Iron Galaxy, Sumo Group, Liquid Sword, NetEase Games, Toast Interactive, Night School Studio, Striking Distance, Ballistic Moon, Eidos Montréal, PlaySide, AppLovin, Nerial, Reality Labs, and, most recently, there have been multiple cuts at EA, including Respawn, as well as People Can Fly and Jagex.

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Vikki Blake

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