Slipgate Ironworks, the games studio founded by former id Software and Ion Storm man John Romero, has been cut down by an estimated 50 individuals, according to Kotaku. Parent company Gazillion, which also owns Gargantuan, NetDevil, and The Amazing Society, decided that Slipgate should focus on a "smaller core team." Some of the laid off employees are being offered other positions within the company.
"Gazillion has enjoyed remarkable growth over the past year and is proud to be partners with revered, world-class brands," said Gazillion in a statement. "We have expanded our number of studios from one to four and our MMO portfolio from two games to a slate of titles. As part of our focus on reaching the widest possible audiences with breakthrough MMO entertainment, we decided to change the format of our project at Slipgate Ironworks to better achieve this aim."
Slipgate's MMO project will continue, but the vision for the game may be slightly altered. "The game we'll launch will build on the efforts to date with a smaller core team and the other Slipgate staff are already in discussions around the many open positions across our slate of projects," the statement continued. "2010 will be an exciting year for Gazillion as we bring several groundbreaking MMOs to markets worldwide. We're tremendously appreciative for the dedication and creativity of our employees who make this all possible."
Gazillion is probably best known for the 10-year Marvel licensing deal the company signed. A Marvel Universe MMO is being led by Diablo creator David Brevik at Gazillion's Gargantuan studio.
