PLAION (formerly Koch Media) is a subsidiary of the Embracer Group holding, which also owns Warhorse Studios, Deep Silver, Prime Matter, and several other gaming teams. The company has officially announced its decision to conduct layoffs.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, developed by Warhorse Studios — a subsidiary of PLAION
The first reports of mass layoffs at PLAION surfaced a week ago. At that time, the portal 80 Level noticed social media posts from laid-off employees at PLAION's Milan office. Later, sources from the publication Games Wirtschaft reported on staff reductions at the Munich office, adding that in total, the company might have parted with 40 specialists — about 20% of its workforce.
PLAION published a public statement about the layoffs on LinkedIn. It did not disclose the number of layoffs, only stating that reductions occurred across several departments and locations. To avoid further rumors, the company emphasized that the layoffs did not affect its subsidiary game development studios and film division PLAION PICTURES.
As PLAION explained, this decision was made after a thorough analysis of the market situation. The layoffs will allow the company to create a more resilient structure and better adhere to its business strategy.
Earlier, another Embracer Group subsidiary, Crystal Dynamics, reported layoffs, cutting 17 employees.