FuturLab has recently announced a reduction of its workforce, parting ways with seven members of its team after the company decided to cancel a development effort that was unrelated to its flagship title, PowerWash Simulator. The decision was communicated by the studio’s chief executive officer, Kirsty Rigden, in an interview with the publication This Week in Video Games. Rigden explained that the cancelled initiative was still in the pre‑production phase when the company concluded that the projected revenue would not justify the anticipated costs.
"Continuing with it wouldn’t have been a sensible decision," she said, emphasizing that the financial outlook simply did not support moving forward. According to Rigden, FuturLab remains wholly dedicated to delivering the best possible experience for PowerWash Simulator 2, while also exploring fresh concepts for future releases. She noted that this strategic focus required a reassessment of the studio’s long‑term plans and resource requirements.
"This is awful because these are people who are super talented and many of whom have been with us a long time, and I really, really appreciate them," Rigden added, acknowledging the difficulty of the choice. She framed the layoffs as a proactive measure, arguing that making tough decisions early helps safeguard the company’s future stability. When pressed about whether the seven staff members were let go through formal redundancy procedures, Rigden declined to provide further details, citing confidentiality and legal constraints surrounding the process.
Anonymous insiders told This Week in Video Games that the cancellation of the side project was first announced in late June, after the effort had reportedly been in development for two to three years. One source claimed that the employees who had been working on the project were left without new assignments for several weeks, creating uncertainty about their roles. The seven individuals who were ultimately affected were reportedly made redundant in July.
According to the same sources, managers and team leads were not told in advance that their direct reports would be departing, nor were they given an explanation for the sudden change. In August, a company‑wide meeting was held in which Chris Mehers, FuturLab’s chief operating officer, reportedly described the situation as a restructuring of the studio.
During a subsequent gathering, employees were instructed to avoid using the term "redundancy" and instead refer to the departing staff as "the leavers." The internal communication also emphasized that the staff reductions would not jeopardize the development of PowerWash Simulator 2. Employees were told that the seven who left were not required for the sequel, and that their exit would have no impact on the game’s progress.
Moreover, managers and team leads were allegedly excluded from the selection process for the affected individuals, a move that was said to protect them from feeling personal guilt and to reduce the stress for those being let go, who would otherwise have faced a two‑week period of job‑security uncertainty. The situation at FuturLab reflects a broader trend in the gaming industry where studios often juggle multiple projects simultaneously, only to scale back or cancel initiatives that do not meet financial expectations.
In a previous interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Rigden discussed the studio’s ambition to diversify beyond PowerWash Simulator. She highlighted that FuturLab has always tried to run two projects at once and that there is another game in the pipeline that she is excited about. "We don’t want to just be a PowerWash studio… we’re always thinking about, ‘What else could we do?’" she said. The decision to cancel the non‑PowerWash project and the subsequent staff reductions underscore the challenges that mid‑size developers face when balancing creative aspirations with fiscal realities.
While the studio continues to prioritize its flagship sequel, the loss of seven experienced team members—many of whom had been with FuturLab for an extended period—raises questions about the capacity to sustain multiple development tracks in the future. It also highlights the human impact of such strategic shifts, as employees navigate the uncertainty and emotional toll associated with abrupt changes in employment status. Industry observers note that the way FuturLab handled the communication—particularly the directive to avoid the word "redundancy"—is indicative of a broader sensitivity within companies about the stigma attached to layoffs.
By labeling the departing staff as "the leavers," the studio appears to be attempting to soften the narrative, though critics argue that transparent language is essential for maintaining trust both internally and with the public. Overall, FuturLab’s recent actions illustrate the delicate balance between maintaining a lean, financially viable operation and preserving the creative talent that fuels innovation. As the studio moves forward with PowerWash Simulator 2 and explores new concepts, the hope among remaining staff and industry watchers is that the company can rebuild momentum while learning from this episode to manage future projects more sustainably.