Schell Games, the studio best known for co‑creating the three‑dimensional version of the hit party game Among Us and for developing the critically acclaimed I Expect You to Die series, has reportedly initiated a wave of layoffs that has left a number of employees without positions. The news first surfaced in a piece published by Game Developer, which highlighted a series of LinkedIn updates from various members of the Schell Games team. These posts collectively painted a picture of a layoff process that began on a Friday and quickly spread across multiple departments within the company. One of the earliest messages came from the studio’s principal engineering manager.
In a brief but poignant note, the manager wrote, “Schell Games had their first ever layoffs today.” The engineer clarified that they themselves had not been among those let go, underscoring the sudden and unprecedented nature of the cuts for a studio that had never before reduced its workforce. The manager’s follow‑up comment captured the broader sentiment felt across the industry: “This has happened not because of anything you did or did not do.
Our industry (and beyond) right now is hemorrhaging.” The phrase "hemorrhaging" was used to describe a pervasive financial strain that has been affecting not only game developers but also many adjacent sectors that rely on similar revenue streams. Further confirmation came from Dwayne Waite Jr., the studio’s marketing director, who used his own LinkedIn post to acknowledge that the marketing team had been directly impacted.
He went on to name four individuals who were part of the reduction, providing a human face to the otherwise abstract numbers. In addition, the senior public relations manager at Schell Games added to the narrative by listing colleagues from the art, design, and visual effects divisions who were also affected. When the various posts are tallied together, the consensus appears to be that roughly fourteen employees have been let go in this round of cuts.
This figure is noteworthy when placed against the company’s publicly listed employee range on LinkedIn, which indicates a staff size somewhere between 51 and 200 people. Even at the lower end of that spectrum, a reduction of fourteen individuals represents a significant percentage of the workforce. One of the departing employees, the senior public relations manager, expressed a mixture of disappointment and pride in a reflective comment.
“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.” This sentiment highlights the emotional toll that layoffs can take, especially when they affect long‑standing team members who have invested years of effort into building a studio’s reputation and product portfolio.
The layoffs are particularly striking given the public stance that Schell Games’ founder and chief executive officer, Jesse Schell, has taken on the subject of job security. In a 2024 interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Schell articulated a philosophy that separates financial risk from the risk to employees’ livelihoods.
He said, “At the heart of it all is choosing not to put jobs at risk. We’ll put cash at risk when we make a game, but we don’t put jobs at risk.” He went on to explain that even if the studio’s own intellectual property generated no revenue, the company would still aim to keep its staff employed, describing this approach as a deliberate choice rather than a default business practice.
Schell’s remarks suggested a commitment to protecting employees even in the face of uncertain market conditions. However, the recent layoffs appear to contradict that earlier pledge, raising questions about the pressures the studio now faces. The gaming industry has been experiencing a series of financial headwinds, including rising development costs, shifting consumer preferences, and a broader economic slowdown that has impacted advertising spend and discretionary spending on entertainment. Industry analysts point out that the current climate has forced many mid‑size studios to reassess their cost structures.
While some companies have turned to alternative funding models, such as early access releases or episodic content, others have sought to diversify revenue streams through partnerships, licensing deals, or expanding into emerging platforms like virtual reality and augmented reality. Schell Games, with its strong background in immersive experiences and educational games, may be exploring similar avenues, but the immediate need to reduce overhead appears to have taken precedence. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Schell Games for an official comment on the layoffs and on how the company plans to navigate the financial challenges ahead. As of now, no response has been publicly released.
The situation at Schell Games serves as a microcosm of a larger trend affecting many creative studios worldwide. While the desire to safeguard jobs remains a noble goal, the realities of cash flow, investor expectations, and market volatility can force even well‑intentioned leaders to make difficult personnel decisions. For the affected employees, the transition may involve seeking new opportunities within the vibrant but competitive game development ecosystem, leveraging the experience and skills they honed at Schell Games. In summary, Schell Games’ recent staff reductions reflect a painful but increasingly common response to industry‑wide financial strain.
The layoffs, which impacted roughly fourteen members across engineering, marketing, art, design, and visual effects, have sparked discussions about the balance between financial prudence and employee security. As the studio looks forward, it will need to reconcile its earlier public commitments with the practical necessities of staying afloat in a market that, as the quoted LinkedIn post noted, is "hemorrhaging" at the moment.