Sega has laid off 121 employees at Company of Heroes studio Relic
The studio says restructuring will “ensure maximum focus is placed on our core franchises”
Sega Europe has laid off 121 employees at Relic Entertainment.
The Vancouver, Canada-based studio specialises in real-time strategy games including the Company of Heroes, Age of Empires and Homeworld series.
In a statement, Relic said Sega and the studio “remain fully committed to supporting and investing in our titles” including Company of Heroes 3, which was released for PC in February and is coming to consoles in May.
“This comes at a time when external factors are challenging our industry more than ever, and we made this decision to restructure our organization to ensure maximum focus is placed on our core franchises,” Relic said.
“We’re confident that following this necessary restructuring, Relic will be in a position of strength to continue delivering outstanding experiences to players all over the world.
“This decision was incredibly difficult,” it added. “Relic is a studio that treasures our people and is proud of the culture we’ve grown, and right now our focus is on supporting departing employees in every way we can.
“We would like to offer our sincerest thanks to each of them for the part they’ve played in making Relic such a special studio.”
Earlier today, Sega announced Total War: Pharaoh, the newest entry in Creative Assembly’s long-running grand strategy series.
During a recent earnings presentation, the company indicated that it could be the next publisher to start charging $70 for some of its games.
It also said it’s interested in the possibility of adapting other IPs for the big screen, following the success of the Sonic movies.