Harmonix has made what it deems to be a “small number” of layoffs. Polygon sources indicated that the number of affected employees was around ten, and the site received the following statement from a spokesperson for the Rock Band studio: "We can confirm that a small number of Harmonix employees were let go today. This decision was made due to shifting staffing priorities for Harmonix's multiple future projects."
The studio’s most recent release was October 2012’s Kinect game Dance Central 3, but last summer it announced that it was working on multiple original IPs. John Drake, director of communications and brand management at Harmonix, said at the time: "Some of them are music games. Some of them are not full-on rhythm action games." Job listings have suggested that the titles will appear on next-gen platforms and feature real-time combat experiences and motion control elements.
Internet sleuth Superannuation also noticed today that the LinkedIn profile of BioShock 2 lead designer Zak McClendon has been updated to list the developer as design director at Harmonix.
