A little over a month after launching a mobile game based on "The Walking Dead," Framingham developer Disruptor Beam has made layoffs to narrow its strategic focus.
Gamasutra reported last week that roughly 30-40 people were laid off, amounting to as much as 30 percent of the video game studio's headcount, according to a source who spoke to the industry news site. Separately, a Google spreadsheet being circulated by professionals in the video game industry lists 26 people now looking for a new job, though BostInno was unable to verify whether the list accounted for all of the layoffs.
The latest news is another blow to the Boston-area video game industry, where most of the large video game studios have suffered layoffs in recent years. Back in March, "Rock Band" developer Harmonix laid off 17 workers, and "Lord of the Rings Online" developer Turbine let go of "a significant number of people" in summer 2016. Most notably, "BioShock" developer Irrational Games laid off all but 15 people in 2014.
The Framingham developer released "The Walking Dead: March to War" as its third mobile, free-to-play title at the end of August, following the 2016 release of "Star Trek Timelines" and the 2013 release of "Game of Thrones Ascent." The company has been backed by venture capital, most recently raising a $8.5 million Series B round.
Disruptor Beam declined to say how many employees were impacted. In a statement to Gamasutra, Disruptor Beam CEO Jon Radoff said the layoffs were the result of an "increased focus" on two game types it's had success with — character-collection and war games— while other project areas didn't show as much as much potential.
Radoff also said that the company will continue to invest in "Star Trek Timelines," which "has been a growth engine for the company," and "The Walking Dead: March to War."
The company has not responded to a request for comment that was sent Sunday night.
