Starbreeze reportedly makes another round of layoffs

Payday developer Starbreeze has reportedly conducted a second round of layoffs in two months.

As noted by Insider Gaming, a number of employees shared they had been affected by redundancies on LinkedIn.

“Today, many of us at Starbreeze, Stockholm, got sad news and I’m now seeking a new role,” wrote former QA worker Alexander Pereswetoff-Morath.

“After over seven years, the longest I’ve ever been at any company in any industry, my time has (more than likely) come.”

Former senior tech producer Sabina af Jochnick also shared her role had “been identified as at risk of redundancy.”

Other employees affected included former gameplay programmer Kim Sjöberg and former sound designer Mark Trusov.

GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to Starbreeze for further clarification, including the number of staff affected.

Last October, Starbreeze let go approximately 44 employees following the cancellation of its Dungeons & Dragons games-as-service title (codenamed Project Baxter).

The decision was made following a strategic review, with the developer concluding its resources were “best deployed to accelerate the growth of [its] flagship Payday franchise.”

Part of Project Baxter’s development team was relocated internally on other projects, with full-time workers and contractors being made redundant.

There have also been various changes in Starbreeze’s leadership in recent years.

Tobias Sjögren stepped down as CEO in March 2024, with board member Juergen Goeldner named as interim replacement.

Former CFO Mats Juhl took over from Goeldner as interim CEO in May, with no reason given for the change.

Last March, former Electronic Arts executive Adolf Kristjansson was appointed Starbreeze CEO, with Juhl resuming his role as CFO.