Scavengers Studio’s Massive Layoff Dismisses Over Half The Studio

According to an insider, Season failed to sell enough copies and resulted in loss for the company.

By Shahmeer Sarfaraz June 26, 2023

Story Highlights

The renowned indie studio Scavengers has seemingly been hit with a massive wave of layoffs, as suggested by a recent announcement made by a former developer on LinkedIn.
The 3D Artist Mathieu Sauve Leroux revealed that he was laid off along with many of his colleagues, with a French video games journalist revealing that over half the studio was affected.
The main reason behind such a huge dismissal of the team is due to the game, Season: A Letter to the Future, not selling enough copies to make up for the costs. It only sold less than 60k units.
Season: A Letter to the Future is a beautiful indie entry built upon many small enchanting moments with a compelling story. It was released on January 31, 2023, on PC, PS4, and PS5.

The prominent indie studio Scavengers has reportedly suffered a massive wave of layoffs, as per the recent reports. The devs are responsible for crafting the narrative-focused adventure experience Season reportedly had to let go of many of its staff in recent changes. The 3D Artist of the indie studio, Mathieu Sauve Leroux, was among the affectees recently, announcing his sudden dismissal on LinkedIn in a new post.

Sad news today. Unfortunately, Scavengers Studio underwent massive layoffs, and most of my colleagues and I are currently without work. I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to work on this wonderful game called Season, and to have collaborated with this unbelievably talented team for the last 4 years!”

Mathieu’s colleagues were reportedly laid off with him, which is quite a lot considering the small numbers of the team at the indie studio. The former dev further thanks the fans and the management of Scavengers for the chance, adding that the layoffs are not easy to bear for anyone involved.

In the past, the numbers regarding the number of employees that were laid off were unknown, but a French games journalist and streamer Gauthier ‘Gautoz’ Andres notes that over half of the studio was fired. Scavengers had a small and talented team of around 40 devs.

Justement j'ai pu obtenir un complément d'infos :

– plus d'une moitié du studio licenciée, voire 2/3

– Season a vendu moins de 60k copies, trop peu pour que le studio rentre dans ses frais

– Selon LinkedIn, Simon Darveau a quitté Scavengers en mars (objectif nouveau studio) https://t.co/K6BzBaicTj

— Juste le Gaut en fait (@gautoz) June 25, 2023

The translation of the tweet reads that around 2/3 of the employees at Scavengers Studio have been laid off. The main reason behind such a tragic dismissal has to do with the sales of the highly renowned indie entry that was recently released by the team. Season reportedly failed to roll over enough copies to keep the studio afloat and make up for all the costs and investments that went into creating the project, as it sold less than 60k units.

The history of the Scavengers Studio has also been a shaky one, with the employees describing the environment as toxic and highly sexist two years ago. Reports emerged that disclosed the sexual harassment, abuse, and yelling that went on behind the closed doors of the studio. Appropriate action was taken against the allegations, and the co-founder Simon Darveau was suspended.

The Scavengers Studio has not yet addressed the massive layoffs officially, leading many to wonder about the future of the studio and its latest release. Season: A Letter to the Future is a heart-touching venture that is built upon many small enchanting moments to make a compelling and memorable entry. It was released on January 31, 2023, on PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. It won the hearts of many players and gained high scores.

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