[STEAM] Metroid, Castlevania dev hit with layoffs just 2 days before its latest game launches

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Metroid Dread studio MercurySteam has been hit with a round of layoffs, the indie dev revealed earlier today.

The Madrid-based studio announced the news in

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where it described the layoffs as "a workforce adjustment process," marking the most unique and corporate way of describing people losing their jobs that I've seen in a while, and one that just doesn't sit very well in my stomach.

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Image via Nintendo "While this is something common within the production cycles of our industry, it is nonetheless a difficult and painful situation," the post reads. "We want to express our deepest respect, gratitude, and support for the people affected, whose talent, effort, and commitment have been an important part of the studio’s history."

MercurySteam's next game, an action title called

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, is launching in just two days. I'm not sure what this round of unspecified layoffs means for the new release, but it doesn't feel good. The game currently has a

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with 54 reviews in.

For my money, Metroid Dread is one of the best games in that franchise's history, a title that the studio co-developed with Nintendo. It launched in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch after MercurySteam also released Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS and the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games before that, so the studio has some decently substantial marks of success in its track record. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to mean much these days in the gaming industry.

"If your studio or company is looking for experienced developers, please feel free to contact us," the post continued. "We will do everything we can to help these professionals find new opportunities. Over the coming weeks, we will focus all our efforts on handling this process with the utmost responsibility, humanity, and respect for everyone involved."

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