It seems that some big layoffs have hit at Volition, with over 30 of the company’s roughly 200 employees let go this week, according to a report from Kotaku. Among those affected was general manager Dan Cermak.
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Volition was founded in 1996, notably working on the Freespace franchise before being acquired by THQ, where they developed Red Faction and the Saints Row games. When THQ filed for bankruptcy in 2013, Volition and the rights to the Saints Row franchise were acquired by Deep Silver, and since then the studio have released the Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell standalone expansion to decent, but tepid response.
More problematic, however, was the release of Agents of Mayhem last month, which was a critical and commercial failure. (We didn’t much care for it, to be sure.) It was especially disappointing as a follow-up to Saints Row, which had in the past few years moved far beyond its roots as a Grand Theft Auto clone to find its own identity with a big focus on ridiculousness.
Volition have yet to officially comment on the layoffs, but it’s easy to assume they can be blamed on the poor performance of Agents of Mayhem. Here’s hoping the studio can bounce back, and those laid off can land on their feet.