Piranha Games, Developer of MechWarrior, Hit by Layoffs

Piranha Games, the studio behind MechWarrior 5: Clans, has allegedly undergone a round of staff reductions. Former employees of the Canadian-based studio have taken to LinkedIn to share their experiences, with affected roles spanning multiple departments including writing, visual effects, environment and technical art, level design, and software development. One former employee cited 'economic restructuring' as the reason for the layoffs. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Piranha Games for confirmation on the number of employees impacted. This development comes after Enad Global 7 (EG7), a Swedish gaming company, reduced staff at Piranha Games and closed Toadman Interactive in January, resulting in 38 job losses at Piranha Games following the launch of MechWarrior 5: Clans. At the time, EG7 CEO Ji Ham stated that despite the team's efforts, the game failed to attract new audiences and meet expected sales targets, prompting the company to take necessary actions. The shutdown of Toadman Interactive was attributed to the studio's inability to secure new contracts at a sufficient pace amid ongoing industry challenges. EG7 was formed in January 2020 through the merger of Toadman, Sold Out, and Petrol, and later acquired Piranha Games for $24.1 million.