IO Interactive Lays Off 50% of Workforce

Develop is reporting huge changes going on at IO Interactive, with the studio laying off approximately 50% of its workforce and shutting down projects to focus solely on the next Hitman game currently in pre-production.

A spokesperson for the Denmark studio stated the cuts were necessary to align the company against “a changing and challenging market”

"Hannes Seifert, formerly Production Director for 3 years at the studio, will take over the position of Studio Head at IO. The studio will focus resolutely on the future vision for the Hitman franchise and is in pre-production on a new triple-A Hitman project.” a statement to Develop said.

"However we have taken the difficult decision to cancel other studio projects and initiatives at IO and reduce the workforce in this studio, which will impact almost half of the employees currently at IO, as we make internal adjustments to face the challenges of today’s market.
 
"For those affected, we are extremely grateful for the hard work which they have contributed, and where it’s possible and appropriate to relocate staff to open positions at other studios within the group, we will try to do so. We are also reaching out to other companies for outplacement opportunities. We sincerely wish them well in their future careers.”

If IO Interactive really does need to slim down to that degree, developing a new Hitman game seems like a Hail Mary Pass to try and save itself from extinction. It's well known that Absolution was not a well received game here at 4Player, but woldwide sales totals currently has the game around 3.6 million copies sold. A bold number, but one that Square Enix considered well below expectations.