Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

November 1, 2011

Ontario-based, Silicon Knights has laid off 45 employees, leaving around 40 employees left at the studio, according to multiple published reports. Earlier reports had the number a bit higher. The company is best known for developing such titles as Blood Omen, Too Human and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and is one of Ontario’s oldest development studios. The layoffs are apparently related to the completion of a project for Activision Blizzard.

Mike Mays, chief financial officer of Silicon Knights, confirmed the layoffs to the Financial Post on Tuesday, saying that the company laid off 45 employees — just under half its workforce — leaving an employee base of “just under 40.”

“We just finished a project with [Activision Blizzard Inc.] that got completed,” he explained.

Silicon Knights is currently negotiating contracts for new projects, according to Mays, though he didn't provide details on what those new projects might be. If the talks are successful, Mays said the company plans to rehire its former employees.

"So hopefully this layoff will be short term," he added.

Source: Financial Post

Comments

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by MechaTama31 on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 23:21.

I kind of assumed they had ceased to exist after Too Human...  >.>

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by Zerodash on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 20:29.

Who (other than himself) will Denis Dyack blame for this latest failure?

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by olstar18 on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 22:19.

It sounds less like a failure to me and more like what projects they have are in the stages where they don't need much manpower.

 
Forgot your password?
Username :
Password :

Shout box

You're not permitted to post shouts.
BearDogg-X: Spike TV is airing the new Xbox reveal with help from GameTrailers starting at 11am CT.05/21/2013 - 12:56am
BearDogg-X: http://kotaku.com/couric-offers-mea-culpa-for-one-sided-violent-video-g-50892937105/21/2013 - 12:49am
james_fudge: of course he does :)05/20/2013 - 10:23pm
Andrew Eisen: EZK lives!05/20/2013 - 10:17pm
BearDogg-X: Not game related, but found it interesting: http://www.upworthy.com/the-real-reason-they-still-play-mrs-robinson-on-the-radio?g=2&c=mrp1 - 90% of the music/TV/news media in USA owned by 6 companies.05/20/2013 - 2:38pm
BearDogg-X: @PHX Corp: It's like they're just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks at this point.05/20/2013 - 12:15pm
Kajex: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/05/20/neverwinter-money-making-exploit-sees-cryptic-turn-back-time/ My understanding is that none of this was illegal, either.05/20/2013 - 11:42am
PHX Corp: http://www.gamezone.com/news/2013/05/20/violent-video-games-are-bad-for-your-body Most rediclous Study about violent video games ever05/20/2013 - 10:13am
Cecil475: @PHX Corp - The dude's a moron who wouldn't know crap if it came up and kicked him.05/19/2013 - 6:36am
PHX Corp: http://kotaku.com/ea-sports-developer-calls-wii-u-crap-and-nintendo-wa-508481261 EA Sports Canada Moron calls Wii U 'Crap' and Nintendo 'Walking Dead'05/18/2013 - 11:42am
E. Zachary Knight: If the videos are of sufficient quality that people subscribe and watch regularly, then those let's players are providing a service that people want. That is the heart of capitalism. That is not something that should be shamed.05/17/2013 - 8:06am
E. Zachary Knight: I have no idea who either of those people are. However, I still don't see why making a business out of creating let's play videos is somehow evil or wrong.05/17/2013 - 8:04am
MaskedPixelante: It sure is if you're just doing it for the money. See Tobuscus and/or Pewdiepie for what happens when people get into it just for the money.05/17/2013 - 7:30am
E. Zachary Knight: Why is it wrong to make money doing LPs? Why should that be something that should be shamed?05/17/2013 - 6:20am
MaskedPixelante: https://twitter.com/PsychedelicSA/status/335183893214924801 Now here's an interesting, glass half full thought about the Nintendo LP thing. It outs the people who are just doing LPs to make money.05/17/2013 - 5:56am
E. Zachary Knight: I responded in writing to all this "let's play" stuff Nintendo Started. No need for my permission, I won't give it. It's not mine to give. http://divineknightgaming.com/?p=29205/16/2013 - 2:21pm
E. Zachary Knight: Lars Doucet of Levelup Labs has a Reddit going on game companies that allow monetization of Let's Play videos. http://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1egayn/lets_build_a_list_of_game_studios_that_allow/05/16/2013 - 1:04pm
Sleaker: @Imautobot - yah I wouldn't use an emulator as a good first run test of how stable the console is, haha.05/16/2013 - 11:47am
E. Zachary Knight: The 50th person to jump off a bridge is just as dumb if not dumber than the 1st.05/16/2013 - 10:03am
MaskedPixelante: Yeah, let's all jump on Nintendo for doing this, even though they're hardly the first company to do this...05/16/2013 - 9:47am
All shouts
 

Be Heard - Contact Your Politician