Entertainment
Image via OtherSide Entertainment
OtherSide Entertainment, the studio spearheaded by veteran developers like Warren Spector and Paul Neurath, has laid off staff.
In a statement sent to Game Developer, a spokesperson said the following: “After the cancelation of a game under development codenamed Argos, OtherSide Entertainment had to sadly say goodbye to 17 team members, effective end of May.”
The spokesperson adds that Argos “could have been a huge success in normal times,” but that the current gaming landscape, deemed as “brutally challenging,” rendered the project’s continuation “unviable for now.”
“To any studios out there hiring, we cannot recommend these impacted people highly enough,” concludes the statement. The studio didn’t provide a list of names of the affected staff.
Yesterday, a handful of developers took it to LinkedIn to announce their departures from OtherSide, mentioning being part of layoffs.
“Even though I was just there for a year, this team truly taught me a lot, and I’ve learned so much from them,” wrote a world builder and level designer on staff.
“A few weeks ago I was laid off from my job at OtherSide Entertainment after the Argos project was canceled. As a result, I’m back on the job hunt again and am available for work!,” wrote a senior 3D artist.
Given the timeline of events, OtherSide laid off 17 team members shortly after the launch of Thick as Thieves on May 20. The game, initially a stealth experience based around player-versus-player as well as player-vs-environment, was pivoted to being a two-player co-op and single player game. This was announced the month before release.
As for the studio’s recent history, OtherSide entered into a “strategic partnership” with video game firm Aonic Group back in 2023. This, as stated at the time, would allow OtherSide to “greatly enhance [its] ability to grow the studio and deliver original titles.”
Studio director Warren Spector said the Swedish firm’s “cultural values are in line with the kind of studio Paul and I wanted to create when we founded OtherSide. I see great things coming from this partnership, things that will surprise and delight players.”
Entertainment About the Author
Contributing Editor, News, GameDeveloper.com
Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.
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