SEGA has announced that it has sold Relic Entertainment and plans a series of job cuts across UK studios including SEGA Europe, Creative Assembly, and SEGA HARDlight.
A total of 240 jobs will be lost as a result of the cuts, with the majority of layoffs occurring at Creative Assembly and SEGA Europe. Two Point Studios and Sports Interactive were not mentioned among those impacted by the job losses. Meanwhile, Relic Entertainment will operate as an independent studio going forward.
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Sega Europe’s newly-appointed boss, Jurgen Post, commented:
Sega is working closely with Relic on this shift, and we wish them the best for the future,” wrote Jurgen Post, who is the newly appointed head of Sega Europe.
I want to sincerely apologise for the worry and understandable distress this news will cause, particularly for those directly affected. These decisions have been incredibly tough to make, and they follow meticulous consideration and deliberation with leadership teams across the business. Change is necessary to secure the future of our games business, and to ensure that we are well placed to deliver the best possible experiences to our players going forward.
We need to streamline, focus on what we are good at, and position ourselves as best we can for the road ahead. In order to do that, we need to respond to the changing economic landscape and the challenges we’re facing in the way we develop our products and bring them to market.
Relic Entertainment is responsible for a number of popular gaming franchises including Company of Heroes and Dawn of War, with its most recent effort coming in the shape of Age of Empires IV.
[Source – GamesIndustry.biz]