The Spanish game development firm MercurySteam has joined the wave of studios implementing employee cuts. In a LinkedIn update, the company revealed plans for a 'workforce adjustment process.' It gained prominence with the 2021 Nintendo Switch release Metroid Dread and the 2017 title Metroid: Samus Returns, both of which received positive feedback from critics and enthusiasts of the longstanding franchise.
The announcement omitted details about the extent of the reductions or the motivations behind them. The potential effects on the company's ongoing operations remain unclear. According to LinkedIn, MercurySteam employs between 251 and 500 people.
Staff reductions have grown increasingly frequent amid challenges in the gaming sector. This development is especially challenging, coming just two days before the studio's newest title hits Steam. Following the console launch of Blades of Fire in the previous year, the team faced public scrutiny over claims of a problematic workplace environment.