After laying off 20% of its staff in early 2024, Life Is Strange: Double Exposure Deck Nine has announced that it will face more layoffs at the end of the year.
In a statement sent to X/TwitterDeck Nine Games CEO Mark Lyons wrote that they would have to “say goodbye to some talented members of our team,” but did not specify how many would be affected by the cuts.
— Deck Nine Games (@DeckNineGames) December 6, 2024
“This was an extremely difficult decision and reflects the challenging times many companies in our industry are currently facing,” Lyons wrote. “We are incredibly grateful to each and every person who has dedicated their hard work, passion and commitment to create transformative entertainment with us.”
Deck Nine, who also wrote the Life Is Strange Before the Storm and True Colors entries as well as The Expanse: A Telltale Series, released Double Exposure in slow October to positive reviews (IGN gave it a 9/10). However, prior to today’s layoffs, the studio was struggling; Earlier this year, we published an extensive report at IGN on the company’s internal struggles with toxicity, hate speech, crisis and more.
Deck Nine announced its latest round of layoffs in February. According to IGN, prior to these layoffs, the studio had approximately 100-130 employees. It’s unclear how many employees will remain after two rounds of layoffs this year. Deck nine dismissed about 30 employees also in May 2023
Original Life Is Strange creator Don’t Nod also announced layoffs in October after two projects in development were canceled amid a reorganization.
Today’s Deck Nine announcement is unfortunately just the latest in layoff news that will hit the gaming industry at the end of the year. At the beginning of the week, Ubisoft revealed that it would close two production studios and lay off 277 employees.
Alex Stedman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, she can be found reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
