Schell Games, the studio best known for co‑creating the three‑dimensional version of the wildly popular social deduction game Among Us and for producing the critically acclaimed I Expect You to Die series, has recently confirmed that it is cutting staff positions. The news emerged after a series of LinkedIn updates from current and former employees indicated that the company began a wave of layoffs last Friday.
The first public hint came from the studio’s principal engineering manager, who posted that "Schell Games had their first ever layoffs today" and clarified that they themselves had not been among those let go. The manager added a candid note explaining that the reductions were not tied to any individual performance issues. "This has happened not because of anything you did or didn’t do. Our industry (and beyond) right now is hemorrhaging," the post read, underscoring the broader market pressures affecting many game developers.
Further confirmation arrived from Dwayne Waite Jr., Schell Games’ marketing director, who disclosed that the marketing department was directly impacted and even listed four colleagues whose positions were eliminated. In addition, the studio’s senior public relations manager contributed to the discussion by naming several affected staff members from the art, design, and visual effects teams.
By tallying the various announcements, observers estimate that roughly fourteen employees have been laid off in total. The company's LinkedIn page lists its workforce size as ranging between 51 and 200 employees, meaning that the recent cuts represent a noticeable but not catastrophic percentage of its overall headcount. The public relations manager, reflecting on the experience, expressed a mixture of disappointment and pride. "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." These layoffs are particularly striking given the public position taken by Schell Games’ founder and CEO, Jesse Schell, who has long spoken out against job cuts within the industry. In a 2024 interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Schell emphasized that the studio separates financial risk from the risk to its employees. He explained, "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.
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." Schell’s comments highlighted a philosophy that many indie and mid‑size studios aspire to: protecting staff even when projects fail to meet revenue expectations.
However, the current economic climate for video game development has become increasingly unforgiving. Rising production costs, shifting consumer habits, and a saturated market have led to what industry observers describe as a "bleeding" environment, where even financially prudent companies feel compelled to trim their payrolls. The broader context includes a wave of layoffs across the gaming sector in recent months, affecting companies of various sizes—from large publishers to boutique studios.
Factors such as the post‑pandemic slowdown in discretionary spending, tighter financing conditions, and the challenges of monetizing new IPs have all contributed to this trend. For Schell Games, which has built a reputation on innovative, narrative‑driven experiences and educational titles, maintaining a stable workforce has been part of its brand identity. While the immediate impact on the laid‑off employees is undoubtedly difficult, the company’s leadership has indicated a commitment to supporting those affected through severance packages and possible assistance with future job searches.
The public relations manager’s heartfelt farewell message suggests a culture of camaraderie that may help former staff members transition to new opportunities. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Schell Games for additional comment on the layoffs and on how the studio plans to navigate the ongoing financial headwinds.
As of now, the company has not issued an official press release beyond the employee‑shared posts, leaving many industry watchers to speculate about the future direction of the studio and whether further reductions might be on the horizon. In summary, Schell Games—renowned for its creative contributions to titles like Among Us 3D and the I Expect You to Die series—has announced its first-ever round of layoffs, affecting an estimated fourteen staff members across engineering, marketing, art, design, and visual effects. The decision reflects the harsh realities of a gaming industry currently described as "hemorrhaging," despite the founder’s earlier vows to protect jobs at all costs.
The affected employees have expressed both sorrow at the abrupt ending of their tenure and pride in the work they accomplished, while the studio’s leadership remains silent on the specifics of future staffing plans.