Starhawk developer LightBox Interactive sees 24 staff layoffs

Author: by Tom Curtis, Mike Rose

Starhawk developer LightBox Interactive has confirmed to Gamasutra that it has laid off 24 staff members, as part of a strategic shift toward creating games for iOS devices. LightBox president Dylan Jobe explained that the affected staff members have been provided with severance packages, and that the official layoffs will happen on Friday. According to the studio's website, the Austin-based studio currently houses approximately 45 employees. "The reason for the layoffs is a strategic shift in our product development as we move forward with a very focused and self-funded team to bring our next game to iOS devices," noted Jobe. He added that LightBox is "still very close" to both the Santa Monica Studio and Sony Computer Entertainment, the companies that Lightbox worked with on Starhawk. The studio first took shape in 2009, when a number of veterans from the now defunct Incognito Entertainment (Warhawk, PS3) moved from Salt Lake City to Austin, Texas to set up a brand new independent studio. Shortly after its founding, LightBox entered into a multi-year, multi-game partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment. The studio released the PlayStation 3-exclusive Starhawk earlier this year. Starhawk launched in May to mixed reviews, though the game failed to reach the top 10 sales charts in the U.S. and the UK. LightBox Interactive isn't the only Austin-based studio to see layoffs of late. In July, The Old Republic developer BioWare Austin was forced to lay off an undisclosed portion of its staff, and even said goodbye to executive producer and MMO veteran Rich Vogel.