NCSoft is laying off a significant portion of its employees in the West following the release of its latest game.
The company confirmed the layoffs, and it explained that they were necessary so that it could pursue a “new strategy.” This restructuring affected all of the publisher’s Western operations except for Guild Wars 2 studio ArenaNet. WildStar developer Carbine was hardest hit, according to a Polygon report.
This comes just a few months after NCSoft launched WildStar in June. While the game did earn some buzz around its launch, it did not seem to maintain excitement throughout the rest of the year.
Read the full NCSoft statement below:
“Today we announced a restructuring of key operations within NC West. As a result of this restructuring, we are implementing staff reductions across our Western operations with the exclusion of ArenaNet. While decisions like this are always hard, they are necessary as we begin the implementation of a new strategy designed to strengthen our footing as a leader in global entertainment.
Moving forward, we will continue to focus on our core development capabilities and the intellectual properties (WildStar, Aion, Lineage, and Guild Wars franchises) that have made NCSoft what it is today. However, we are looking to move into new business segments like mobile and tablet games as well as explore emerging technologies.
Again, the decision to reduce staff was not an easy one, and we sincerely wish everyone well in their next endeavors.”