The announcement was part of a statement from Humble Games that was published on Linkedin after Several employees confirm their layoffs on social mediaThe statement emphasized “the goal of providing stability and support to our developers and ongoing projects,” while also saying that the restructuring has no impact on Humble Bundle.
In these challenging economic times for independent game publishing, Humble Games has made the arduous but necessary decision to restructure our operations. This decision was not made lightly; it required much consideration and careful thinking to ensure stability and support for our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will not impact operations at Humble Bundle.
We are fully aware of the profound impact this decision has on our team members at Humble Games, and we deeply sympathize with everyone affected. Our team’s contributions have been world-class and invaluable in supporting the launch of our games since we began shipping in 2017. We are committed to navigating this change with as much empathy and understanding as possible.
Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our highest priority. We are committed to making this transition as glossy as possible for everyone involved. We thank you for your support and compassion during this arduous time. We are deeply grateful.
When asked separately for comment, a Ziff Davis representative shared the statement posted above and said that the company is “not closing, but is undergoing a restructuring” and that “all past and ongoing projects and upcoming releases are unaffected and will continue to be supported and published by Humble Games.” The representative said he could not comment on how many employees were affected or who remained. The aftermath later announced that all employees had been laid off and the work would be completed by an external company.
Humble Games is an independent publishing house whose portfolio includes titles like Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Signalis, and Stray Gods. Several developers who worked with Humble Games expressed sympathy for the layoffs.
Humble Games is one of several independent publishers forced to restructure due to uncertainty in the gaming industry throughout 2024. IGN reported in May that Take-Two was quietly shuttering its Private Division brand in the wake of the closures of OlliOlli World development studio Roll7 and Kerbal Space Program 2 studio Intercept Games. Xbox, PlayStation, EA, and a host of other publishers have also been hit with layoffs.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s news director and also co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? DM her @the_katbot.
