Gameloft Romania cuts 136 jobs and closes Cluj studio

Gameloft Romania is shuttering its Cluj studio and laying off 136 employees.

The company confirmed the news in a statement issued to Game Developer and explained the closure follows a review of its production capacities.

"As a company, we need to constantly review our production capacities. After careful consideration and in response to the ever-changing market conditions we are facing, it has become necessary to implement a reduction in workforce. Unfortunately, this leads us to close our Cluj studio and to let go the 136 employees of the office," said a Gameloft Romania spokesperson.

"This decision has not been taken lightly, and we understand the impact it may have on affected employees. We will be working with them, on a case-by-case basis, to find the best way to handle their situation."

The Gameloft Cluj website notes the studio oversaw entire production cycles from conception to testing. It employed designers, animators, programmers and more, and worked on projects including Total Conquest, Iron Blade, Asphalt 9: Legends and Auto Defense.

Further Gameloft layoffs in 2024

These aren't the first cuts Gameloft has made in 2024. Earlier this year, the company sanctioned layoffs at its offices in Ukraine and Canada (thanks GI.biz) and blamed those redundancies on "market conditions."

The Vivendi-owned company also closed its Budapest studio in 2023 as part of a shift towards console and PC development, with a view to building on the success of Disney Dreamlight Valley. Other studios throughout the industry have collectively laid off thousands of workers across 2023 and 2024, contributing to a debilitating trend that shows no signs of slowing down.