On Friday, layoffs hit Lost Boys Interactive, a Gearbox-owned developer that employed over 400 people. While the full scope of the layoffs remains unclear, former employees are saying a “sizable” portion of the company was let go and describing what happened today as “massive” layoffs.
Numerous ex-Lost Boys employees have taken to LinkedIn to share the regrettable news.
“It seems a sizable portion of Lost Boys Interactive was laid off today, including myself,” wrote Jared Pace, a producer at Lost Boys. “Still trying to understand the scope of it all, but sadly this is a song and dance we're all familiar with.”
Pace told Aftermath that layoffs “affected all disciplines at all levels.” As of this publishing, Gearbox and Embracer have not replied to Aftermath’s inquiries about the total number of employees impacted.
Lost Boys Interactive was founded in 2017 and has contributed to games like Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, Diablo IV, and The Quiet Man. In 2022 it was acquired by Borderlands creator Gearbox, at which point it boasted a headcount of over 220. Gearbox nearly doubled Lost Boys’ size prior to today’s layoffs. But much has changed since 2022: Embracer, which owns Gearbox, bet the house on a $2 billion deal with a Saudi investment group that fell through in 2023. Ever since, its many, many properties have been hit by layoffs on a near-monthly basis.
Multiple laid-off Lost Boys workers described the company as a great place to work and lamented this sudden, unceremonious conclusion.
“It was an absolutely fantastic time full of challenges and beautiful friendships,” wrote Spicer McElroy, former art director at Lost Boys. “If you see anyone from Lost Boys looking for work, grab them immediately. They are the most amazing group of artists I've ever worked with.”
This week alone, Unity has laid off 1,800 people, Twitch has laid off 500 people, Discord has laid off 170 people, and now Lost Boys Interactive has laid off dozens, at least. That brings the total number up to over 2,500. It’s gonna be a rough year.
