Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue

X
News

Sony Online Entertainment Lays Off 35 Team Members

by Ben Reeves on Jul 15, 2010 at 10:02 AM

Like some kind of terrible disease, the layoff virus has spread to another company. Sony Online Entertainment just announced that it would be laying off over four percent of its workforce.

The company, famous for it’s popular Everquest series, has since moved on to developing the free-to-play MMO Free Realms, and the upcoming DC Comics-licensed DC Universe Online. They released a statement to G4TV that read:

“In a move to better align the company’s resources against areas of growth that meet consumer demand in today’s online market as well as improve operational efficiency, Sony Online Entertainment has eliminated just over 4% of its full-time workforce, equaling 35 people. The changes will better position SOE to deliver against its emphasis on developing games for a wider, more diverse audience and remaining a worldwide leader in online gaming.”

Layoffs are a sad but ever-present part of the industry. We hope this news isn’t a bad sign for the upcoming DC Universe Online, SOE’s shooter MMO The Agency, or its other free-to-play MMO Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, all of which are scheduled to be out by the end of the year.