Schell Games, the development studio best known for co‑creating the three‑dimensional version of the viral hit Among Us and for producing the critically acclaimed I Expect You to Die series, has recently been forced to reduce its workforce. According to a story published by Game Developer, a wave of layoff announcements began surfacing on LinkedIn on Friday, as employees posted personal updates describing the sudden cuts. One of the first messages to appear came from the studio’s principal engineering manager, who wrote that Schell Games was undergoing its "first ever layoffs" and clarified that they themselves had not been dismissed. The manager added a note of empathy, emphasizing that the reductions were not tied to any personal performance issues: "This has happened not because of anything you did or did not do.
Our industry (and beyond) right now is hemorrhaging." The news was further corroborated by Dwayne Waite Jr., the company’s marketing director, who confirmed that the marketing department was among those affected and even named four individuals who were losing their positions. In addition, the senior public‑relations manager at Schell Games shared a longer list of names from the art, design, and visual‑effects teams, indicating that the cuts spanned multiple disciplines within the studio.
Based on the publicly shared information, it appears that roughly fourteen employees have been impacted by the layoffs. This figure is notable given that Schell Games’ LinkedIn profile lists the studio’s headcount as falling somewhere between 51 and 200 staff members, meaning the reductions represent a non‑trivial percentage of the overall workforce. One of the affected employees, the senior public‑relations manager, expressed a mixture of disappointment and pride in a reflective post. "I won’t pretend this isn’t a disappointing way to end this chapter, especially after almost six years," they wrote.
"But I’m walking away proud of what I accomplished during my time with the company, and I’m grateful for the people I got to build with." The layoffs are particularly striking because they run counter to the public stance repeatedly taken by Schell Games’ founder and chief executive officer, Jesse Schell. In a 2024 interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Schell articulated a philosophy that the studio would never jeopardize its employees’ jobs for financial considerations. He explained that while the company might risk cash on a game development project, it would not risk the livelihoods of its staff. "At the heart of it all is choosing not to put jobs at risk," Schell said.
"We’ll put cash at risk when we make a game, but we don’t put jobs at risk. Even if our own IP brings in zero dollars, we still haven’t put any jobs at risk – we still have a path forward where we’ll be able to keep people on. So, in a lot of ways, it’s a choice." Despite this earlier commitment, the current round of reductions suggests that external pressures have become too severe to ignore. The broader video‑game industry has been experiencing a prolonged period of financial strain, with many mid‑size studios reporting revenue shortfalls, delayed releases, and increased competition from both large publishers and indie developers.
Market analysts point to a combination of factors: rising development costs, a saturated market, shifting consumer preferences toward live‑service models, and macro‑economic headwinds such as inflation and reduced discretionary spending. All of these forces have contributed to a situation where even studios with a solid reputation and a portfolio of successful titles are feeling the squeeze. For Schell Games, the timing is especially poignant because the studio has been riding a wave of critical acclaim for its immersive experiences. The I Expect You to Die franchise, for example, has been praised for its inventive puzzle design and its seamless blend of narrative and gameplay.
The company’s work on an Among Us 3D adaptation demonstrated its willingness to experiment with emerging trends and to bring popular IPs into new formats. Yet, despite these achievements, the financial realities of game development—especially for a studio that balances original IP with contract work—can be unforgiving. Industry observers note that layoffs of this nature often serve as a bellwether for broader challenges within the sector. When a studio that has publicly championed job security is forced to cut staff, it can signal that revenue projections are falling short of expectations or that funding pipelines have dried up.
It also raises questions about the sustainability of certain business models, particularly those that rely heavily on a single or limited set of revenue streams. The response from the remaining staff at Schell Games has been one of cautious optimism mixed with concern. Some employees have expressed confidence that the studio will emerge leaner but more focused, while others worry about the potential impact on ongoing projects and future hiring.
The senior public‑relations manager’s farewell note, while heartfelt, also hinted at a desire for the company to learn from this episode and to perhaps revisit its financial planning strategies. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Schell Games for an official comment on the layoffs, but as of the time of writing, no response has been received. The lack of an immediate statement leaves room for speculation about how the studio plans to navigate the aftermath, whether it will seek additional funding, restructure its project pipeline, or explore new partnerships to stabilize its cash flow.
In summary, Schell Games, a studio celebrated for its innovative titles and its commitment to employee stability, has announced its first ever round of layoffs, affecting roughly fourteen members of its team across engineering, marketing, art, design, and visual‑effects. The decision appears to be driven by broader industry-wide financial pressures despite the company’s earlier public assurances that jobs would never be at risk. As the gaming sector continues to grapple with economic headwinds, the situation at Schell Games underscores the delicate balance studios must strike between creative ambition and fiscal responsibility.