Embracer-owned Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms reportedly hit with layoffs, employees reveal

Catherine Lewis
·2 min read
Key art for Ghostrunner.
Key art for Ghostrunner.

A number of employees at Embracer-owned developer Slipgate Ironworks and publisher 3D Realms have reported on social media that they’ve been impacted by layoffs. However, it’s not currently clear how many people have been affected, and there's been no official confirmation or messaging yet.

Slipgate Ironworks and 3D Realms are both subsidiaries of Saber Interactive, which was acquired by Embracer in August 2020. The two developed and published the recently released action game Kingpin: Reloaded - a remastered version of Xatrix Interactive’s 1999 game, Kingpin: Life of Crime - and before that helped develop and produce Ghostrunner.

As Eurogamer reports, several employees have now stated that they’re looking for new work and opportunities, including lead composer Michael Markie, who tweeted yesterday (December 14): “For Christmas this year, I got laid off! If anyone is looking for a level designer or audio please hit me up!”

A few hours later, graphics programmer Ziyad Barakat posted: “Last night I was laid off from 3D Realms / Slipgate Ironworks and now I must undertake the journey of looking for new opportunities.”

Similar messages were posted today (December 15) by 3D artist Patrick Hewitt and character artist Lars Bundvad-Åmodt, the latter of whom noted that “like many others I have been affected by the layoffs [at] Slipgate Ironworks / 3D Realms.”

At the time of writing, the situation hasn’t been officially acknowledged publicly by Slipgate Ironworks, 3D Realms, Saber Interactive, or Embracer Group. It’s worth noting, however, that Embracer has been carrying out a large-scale restructuring program this year, which - as of the end of September - had resulted in over 900 people (or around five percent of the workforce) being laid off. This number has since risen - just this week, it was confirmed that TimeSplitters studio Free Radical Design has been closed.

Looking for some brilliant games to play over the holiday period? You can take a look at our recommendations for the best PS5 games, the best Xbox Series X games, and the best Nintendo Switch games for some solid options.