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Staff Laid Off At Motiga, As Gigantic Slips Into 2016
Motiga's colorful and ambitious not-quite-a-MOBA was due out this year for PC and Xbox One, but that isn't happening. The studio has announced that we won't be seeing a sudden release this month, as the game has slipped into 2016.
The delay comes with the news that a number of staff members have been let go. Motiga is still a start-up, bringing in no revenue on the road to its first release. "As a pre-revenue startup, our resources are finite," writes CEO Chris Chung. "Stretching Gigantic development milestones over more time requires that we stretch those resources in the same fashion. As a result, today Motiga has had to lay off 16 employees at the studio. All impacted employees are receiving severances and job placement assistance."
Gigantic is currently available in closed beta on both Xbox One and PC. For more on the title, check out our previous coverage.
Our Take
Gigantic has the potential to make a big splash on the free-to-play scene. It's got the tight controls of third-person action games, dumps the minions of MOBA games, and feels like a great tug-of-war.
Our thoughts are certainly with the 16 individuals that were let go as a result of the decision to delay the game. Motiga needs to make sure that it does deliver a competent game that hooks fans, but it also needs to do so within its means as a start-up.
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