Cold Iron Studios, the developer of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, is cutting staff just a month after the co-op shooter launched. Parent company Enad Global 7 (EG7) announced the reduction late Friday, September 25, and it went largely unnoticed over the weekend. On Monday, Insider Gaming reported the first headcount: it says at least 19 people were let go.
What EG7 said
In a press release published at 8 PM CEST Friday (1 PM CT), EG7 said its wholly owned subsidiary Daybreak Game Company “will reduce staffing levels at Cold Iron Studios following the release of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2.”
The company presents the cut as planned. “The staff reduction follows the original plan that is intended to reduce the studio’s operating cost base and secure a sustainable operation going forward,” the release says. It adds that Cold Iron “will continue to operate as part of Daybreak Game Company.” The studio is being downsized, not closed.
EG7’s release doesn’t say how many people are affected, which roles were cut, or how big the studio is now.
How many jobs?
The only number so far comes from Insider Gaming. Mike Straw writes that the outlet “understands that at least 19 people have been let go,” and that public records suggest Cold Iron had roughly 50 to 70 employees before the cuts. Neither EG7 nor Cold Iron has confirmed that figure publicly.
Insider Gaming also points to the wider toll. By its count on Monday, more than 11,000 people have lost games-industry jobs in 2026, across 144 companies, and at least 32 studios have closed.
What happens to Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2
EG7 says Cold Iron “will remain focused on the continued development and support of Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, including the Nintendo Switch 2 release that is now scheduled for early 2027.”
That Switch 2 timing is a change. Daybreak’s launch announcement on August 25 dated the Switch 2 version for September 29, 2026, which is tomorrow. EG7 hasn’t given a specific day in early 2027.
On other platforms the game is already out. Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 launched August 25 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. Daybreak lists the Digital Standard Edition at $49.99 and the 40th Anniversary Premium Edition at $69.99. The sequel to 2021’s Aliens: Fireteam Elite was developed by the San Jose-based Cold Iron and published by Daybreak in collaboration with 20th Century Games. It expands the squad to four players, with Colonial Marines fighting Xenomorphs, rogue Synthetics, and the products of bioweapons experiments.
EG7’s release doesn’t lay out a content roadmap for the game, and it says nothing about the post-launch plans beyond the Switch 2 date.
