Insomniac Reportedly Faced Layoffs Along With Other PlayStation Devs

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Obaid Ur Rehman

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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Various PlayStation studios have let go of developers recently. While other studios, like CDPR, have also been impacted by this practice, Sony’s developers appear to be facing more issues than the rest.

A prestigious team like Naughty Dog was hit with layoffs, with reports stating that The Last of Us Multiplayer is canceled. Most recently, Bungie became the center of attention for the departure of nearly 100 developers.

Following this heartbreaking news, it appears Insomniac faced a few layoffs of its own.

Why it matters: PlayStation has made a name for itself through its incredibly talented developers. However, Sony’s gaming division has struggled to retain talent for these teams recently.

https://twitter.com/bogorad222/status/1719782737966436455?t=1mdeAlDWMRuHFNMLfX2eGw&s=19

Twitter user Bogorad222 has noticed that Insomniac was one of the studios that faced layoffs. The studio appears to have faced job cuts three months ago before the release of Spider-Man 2.

Jonathan Friedenberg said on LinkedIn that he and a few other people were laid off around 3 months ago from Insomniac. According to the former employee, he was laid off as part of a headcount reduction at the studio.

Before losing his position, Jonathan Friedenberg was responsible for managing the intern program at Insomniac from the start. However, he did not provide an exact number of developers impacted by the headcount reduction.

Nonetheless, the developer seems to have performed a few major tasks during the production of Spider-Man 2. According to Jonathan’s LinkedIn profile, he built development plans and coordinated events during the game’s production.

While layoffs are always unfortunate, Insomniac appears to have escaped the situation unscathed. The studio has found record-breaking success with Spider-Man 2, releasing PlayStation’s fastest-selling first-party title.

However, we hope the laid-off staff is able to get up on their feet quickly and find work elsewhere in the gaming industry.

Insomniac has now moved on to the development of Wolverine. The studio has also teased a potential spin-off for Venom, so we hope it does not lose any further talent that may be detrimental to the development of these titles.

Obaid Ur Rehman

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Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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