It’s been reported that Take-Two, parent company of Rockstar games and therefore owner of arguably the biggest and most lucrative entertainment product of all time, has decided to shutter two of its studios as part of its recently-revealed plans to lay off 600 employees and cancel in-development projects.
As detailed by Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, Take-Two is seemingly closing both the London-based Roll7 – a studio with a 15-year history and some pretty successful games under its belt such as the OlliOlli series and the BAFTA award-winning Rollerdrome – as well as Intercept Games, which is still in the midst of working on and supporting its early access title, Kerbal Space Program 2.
While the closure of Roll7 is all but confirmed with staff told the studio is being wound down and offered severance agreements, Take-Two has reportedly declined to confirm the closure of Intercept. Bloomberg’s reporting suggests that a notice filed with the Washington State Employment Security Department on Monday reveals that Take-Two is closing a Seattle office and cutting 70 jobs, which would fit in with the idea that the studio is being shuttered.
Take-Two provide a statement provided to IGN, suggesting that its Private Divisionwill continue to update Kerbal Space Program 2, which says a lot without saying much. The full statement reads:
“On April 16th, Take-Two announced a cost reduction program to identify efficiencies across its business and to enhance the Company’s margin profile, while still investing for growth. As part of these efforts, the Company is rationalizing its pipeline and eliminating several projects in development and streamlining its organizational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs. The Company is not providing additional details on this program.
“On April 18th Private Division successfully launched Moon Studio’s No Rest for the Wicked. The label continues to make updates to Kerbal Space Program 2 and plans to release W?t? Workshop Game Studio’s Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game in the second half of 2024.”