Gravity Well, the independent studio founded by former Respawn Entertainment developers who worked on Titanfall and Apex Legends, has laid off “over 40” developers after losing its funding. In a statement posted to LinkedIn on Tuesday, Oct. 6, the studio’s leadership said those cuts amount to “the majority of our team.”
“When we started Gravity Well our goal was to create the best place in the world for developers to do their best work,” the statement reads. “Sadly, today we’re having to take a big step back in achieving that goal. Gravity Well lost our funding this summer and have been searching for a new partner. We haven’t secured funding yet.”
The statement was signed by chief executive officer and executive producer Drew McCoy, chief technology officer Jon “Slothy” Shiring and chief operating officer Mon Saetern. They said staff were told about the situation as it unfolded and knew layoffs were possible if new money didn’t come through. “Gravity Well will continue with a much smaller team as we continue to fight for survival, but given the current state of the industry our future is uncertain,” they wrote. The leaders also asked other companies to consider hiring the affected developers, adding that the cuts weren’t “a result of your skillset or ability.”
A studio built to stay small
McCoy and Shiring founded Gravity Well in 2020. The studio pitched itself as an “anti-crunch” AAA developer that believed “developers deserve significant profit-sharing on the games that they make,” and Inven Global reports it planned to top out at 80 to 85 people. According to This Week in Videogames, the employee directory on the studio’s website listed 71 people. The studio never publicly named its financial backers.
This Week in Videogames’ review of former employees’ social posts found the cuts reached senior roles, including Animation Director Patrick Gillette, Art Director Hethe Srodawa and Principal Game Designer Teddy Dief, all of whom have said they left the company or are looking for new work.
A debut game that was never revealed
The layoffs land before Gravity Well officially announced its first game. The studio had confirmed only that it was a new IP built in Unreal Engine 5 and shared two pieces of concept art on its website. Descriptions from laid-off staff offer the only other clues, and they don’t fully match. A CV from Senior Level Designer Kendall Snow calls it a third-person shooter. Senior Producer Jason Brisson’s portfolio describes a “AAA co-operative action roguelike” with “Ghibli-esque visuals” set in a pulp world called Santovia. This Week in Videogames notes it’s unclear when that description was written or whether it still reflects the game.
The cuts add to a rough stretch for game developers. Last month Heart Machine laid off nearly everyone after its publisher dropped an unannounced game, and Supermassive recently laid off more than 70 people.
