Monumental Loses Deal, Cuts Staff

Nottingham-headquartered developer Monumental Games will see layoffs after an "unexpected" project cancellation -- as a publisher backs away from a deal with the studio, it says it can't avoid staff cuts. The company confirmed the news to UK trade site Develop, but would not specify how many employees are affected: "Due to an unexpected project cancellation Monumental has been forced to restructure its business which has resulted in a number of job losses," said the company in a statement. "The company is saddened by the cuts and will provide the necessary support to those affected through the change," it continued. Monumental saw difficulties earlier this year, too. The Football Superstars developer lost a promised grant when it failed to hire the 22 staffers it was required to add in order to obtain it. As a result, the company had to close its Manchester offices. Monumental recently unveiled a new browser-based 3D MMO engine called Prime, which it hopes to introduce to potential partners at this month's Game Connection event in Lyon. It appears the engine will play a key role in the company's plans to get back on track.