ZeniMax Online Studios Face Layoffs — September 3, 2014
ZeniMax Online Studios, a day before the fifth month anniversary of the studio's first title Elder Scrolls Online, has faced a wave of layoffs this morning. In a statement released to Joystiq, Bethesda Softworks Vice President of Public Relations, Pete Hines, explained the reasoning behind it, and what it means for the future of the MMO spin-off of the series:
"As is the norm for games of this type, we had ramped up a large workforce to develop a game of vast scale, and ramped up our customer service to handle the expected questions and community needs of The Elder Scrolls Online at launch. Now that we are nearly 6 months post launch, we have a thriving online community in a game that runs smoothly. We remain strongly committed to The Elder Scrolls Online, and continue to invest heavily to develop new content for PC players, prepare the game for its console launch, and handle our planned expansion into important international territories. As for customer service, we continue to operate large support centers in Hunt Valley, MD and Galway, Ireland."
While it is fairly common for development studios to face layoffs post-release, it is always sad to hear about them. The UESP offers its condolences to those who were affected, and hopes they find new employment soon.