Niantic, which has been making an attempt to copy the large success of Pokémon Go with different cell AR video games, is laying off 8 % of its workforce and canceling four projects, as reported by Bloomberg.
“We recently decided to stop production on some projects and reduce our workforce by about eight percent to focus on our key priorities,” Niantic VP of communications Jonny Thaw stated in a press release to The Verge. “We are grateful for the contributions of these leaving Niantic and we’re supporting them via this tough transition.
“This means we can focus on our most important priorities, including Pokémon Go and a select set of new experiences, as well as the Lightship platform. This increased focus, as well our strong core business, puts us in a position to weather the broader economic uncertainty many companies are facing and continue investing in the future of AR.”
According to Bloomberg, the modifications imply Niantic is canceling Transformers: Heavy Metal, a sport made in partnership with Sleep No More creator Punchdrunk, and two titles codenamed Blue Sky and Snowball. About 85 to 90 people are being let go.
Pokémon Go has confirmed to be a permanent hit regardless of being almost six years previous, however different AR video games haven’t had fairly as a lot success. Niantic has lately shut down AR video games based mostly on the Catan and Harry Potter franchises, and Microsoft shut down Minecraft Earth final yr. That stated, Niantic nonetheless appears dedicated to creating new video games — its lovely sport Peridot is in a mushy launch, and the corporate simply introduced an NBA title.
