A new report has emerged which suggests that indie publisher Humble Games could be the latest studio to be hit by industry layoffs.
The report comes courtesy of Sports Illustrated’s gaming section, which cites both a LinkedIn post from a Humble staffer and an “anonymous tip” as its sources.
Lead release manager Estelle Skeels posted that she was “just laid off” from her position, and that it’s a “sad day at Humble Games for a lot of folks”.
That would seem to suggest that Humble Games is letting more staff go than just Estelle, although it’s worth noting that the publisher hasn’t confirmed or announced anything officially on this front.
According to SI’s report, another LinkedIn post lamenting the “layoffs at Humble Games today” was also shared by a current Humble Games employee.
Again, it’s worth remembering that no official announcement from Humble Games has been forthcoming. We’ve reached out to the studio for clarification and will update as soon as we hear anything back.
If the layoffs are true, Humble Games is, unfortunately, the latest in a long line of studios to announce layoffs and downsizing efforts in recent months.
Other studios affected by this wave include Amazon Games, Neverwinter developer Cryptic Studios, Destiny 2 studio Bungie, and Dreams creator Media Molecule, among others.
Some studios have also been closed down, including Saints Row developer Volition, co-development studio Puny Human, and Australian indie outfit Samurai Punk.
You might know Humble Games’ name from its work publishing indie titles like Unpacking, Signalis, and Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical, among many others.
The studio is an offshoot of the wider Humble Bundle company, which routinely offers bundles of games at discounted prices and donates portions of the proceedings from said bundles to charity.
Humble also operates a storefront, the aptly-named Humble Store, which sells keys for both major AAA releases and indie games alike.
Stay tuned for more news on Humble, as well as any other studios affected by this wave of industry layoffs, as soon as we get it.
