Update: In a statement released after this story was first published, Humble Games confirmed reports of layoffs at the company, but did not specify how many employees were affected. Humble Games described the layoffs as part of a "restructuring" rather than a function of total closure, as some employee accounts suggested. Here's the company's statement in full:
"In these challenging economic times for indie game publishing, Humble Games has made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure our operations. This decision was not made lightly; it involved much deliberation and careful thought, with the goal of ensuring the stability and support of our developers and ongoing projects. Additionally, the restructuring of operations at Humble Games will have no impact on operations at Humble Bundle.
"We are acutely aware of the profound impact this decision has on our team members at Humble Games and deeply empathize with everyone affected. Our team's contributions have been world-class and invaluable, supporting the launch of our games since we started publishing in 2017. We are committed to navigating this transition with as much empathy and understanding as possible.
"Supporting our development partners and assisting former team members remains our top priority. We are committed to making this transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved. Thank you for your support and compassion during this challenging period. It is deeply appreciated."
In follow-up comments to 12DOVE, a PR representative, who could not comment on how many people remain at Humble Games, said "operations will continue as normal" and developers won't be affected by this restructuring. I noted that some Humble Games-published developers have already been affected by the news, which seems to have blindsided folks on both sides of production, and was told that "all developers are in the process of being contacted by the Humble Games team." Additionally, "all upcoming games are still moving forward and support will continue for all released games."
Original story:
Humble Games, the publishing subsidiary of Humble Bundle, owned by IGN parent company Ziff Davis, has reportedly been gutted by a wave of layoffs and closed outright.
"The entirety of Humble Games was laid off this morning," senior QA staffer Emilee Kieffer said in a Twitter (X) statement cross-posted from LinkedIn.
"The game industry is volatile," Kieffer's post continues, "it's been inundated by people who only want exponential growth at the expense of making great games with great teams. Billionaires and CEOs are making record profits at the expense of the employees who actually create the products. But I believe we have the power to create studios that benefit us as game developers and not people that only see us as money printing machines."
A similar statement from Nicola Kwan of the Humble Games business development team, shared from LinkedIn by a separate Twitter user, suggests this extends beyond the publisher's QA team. "At 9am this morning, 36 employees of Humble Games were told that we were being let go and that the company is shutting down," Kwan wrote, in no uncertain terms.
Mere hours before these layoffs broke on social media, the Humble Games account was excitedly offering Steam keys for one of its games. None of the brand's accounts have issued a statement on the layoffs at the time of writing.
Well friends, me and the entirety of Humble Games was laid off this morningIf you need senior/lead QA at your game studio HI HELLO I DON'T HAVE A JOB ANYMOOOORE! pic.twitter.com/giAPAiTDsxJuly 23, 2024
Humble Bundle, the money-saving, charity-supporting game bundler and storefront appears to be unaffected by these specific layoffs. "Just so everyone knows, this is Humble Games, not Humble Bundle," Kieffer stressed in a follow-up post. Both brands are, however, owned by Ziff Davis, per the company's website. Ziff Davis also recently purchased the Gamer Network suite of websites, and swiftly laid off multiple writers at sites like GamesIndustry.biz and VG24/7.
Humble Games has backed and released dozens of games since its official, rebranded launch in May 2020, and was active as recently as this month with the delightful Metroidvania Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus – a standout even in a stacked month for the genre. Last month, Humble Games published the cartoonish action RPG Blud and cozy restaurant sim Rolling Hills. This followed a break in releases since December 2023.
You may know Humble Games for critically acclaimed hits like farm sim darling Coral Island, the singular experience that is Unpacking, horror gem Signalis, or the impossible-to-put-down Forager. The publisher's roster also includes Pokemon-like MMO Temtem, delightful roguelike Wizard of Legend, and the sterling, genre-defying action game Unsighted.
The Humble Games website still lists seven games as upcoming despite this apparent closure: Billie Bust Up, Breeze in the Clouds, Lost Skies, and On Your Tail, as well as sequels to several beloved games in Monaco 2, Wizard of Legend 2, and Never Alone 2. The future of these games, in the works at their own separate developers, remains to be seen.
The 36 people reportedly affected by this Humble Games cut join thousands of games industry workers laid off this year, from industry behemoths like EA and Microsoft to smaller studios like Dauntless and Fae Farm developer Phoenix Labs.
