SteamWorld Creators Announce Incoming Layoffs And Focus On Third-Party Games

Thunderful Games, the developer of the SteamWorld series, has announced 80-100 layoffs at the company and a reshifting focus for third-party games. In a press release, the company said the layoffs were part of a “restructuring.” Along with the layoffs, an unspecified number of game projects were officially canceled.

CEO of Thunderful Martin Walfisz said that the decision came with regret, but this isn’t the first time the company has seen layoffs this year. Back in January, Thunderful saw 20% of the company’s staff laid off in a similar “restructuring,” something that Walfisz acknowledges and saw as unavoidable.

“It is regrettable to announce a second restructuring of Thunderful in less than a year, but we unfortunately see no other alternatives in order to ensure the Group’s long-term sustainability and resilience,” Walfisz said. “The strategic move towards publishing games from external partners allows us to reduce fixed costs, increase flexibility, and better control our cash flow. We have many talented and dedicated employees, and it is with great regret that we are forced to part ways.”

According to the press release, the projections for money saved from these reductions will gain 80-90 MSEK (approximately $7.3-8.2 million), but it doesn’t expect the majority of these savings to take effect until the first quarter of 2025. The restructuring program will be implemented immediately.

As for refocusing on external games, the company said that it hopes it will help reduce fixed costs and allow for a higher turnout rate, but still retain some internal development capacity, which includes games like the SteamWorld series and Lost in Random.

Thunderful’s recent release, SteamWorld Heist 2, was released back in August and earned rather good reviews, including at GameSpot where it received a 9/10.