Daybreak Games, the developers behind “EverQuest II,” “H1Z1,” and “PlanetSide 2,” laid off a number of employees this week as part of a structure optimization, the company told Variety.
Former Daybreak Games president John Smedley took to Twitter Friday afternoon to talk about the layoffs noting that “70 people is a lot.”
“Very sorry to hear about the layoffs at Daybreak,” he wrote in another tweet. “Those are good people that should still be working there 10 years from now if things were being well run.”
“Really, really, really angry right now,” he wrote in a third tweet. “It’s December FFS and this is how you treat employees @DaybreakGames come on.”
Others were saying that those layoffs were focused in the Austin, Texas office, but Daybreak Games said that was not the case.
“No, that is not correct,” according to the spokesperson. “Our Austin office is not closing.
“We are optimizing our structure to ensure we best position ourselves for continued success in the years to come. This effort has required us to make some changes within the organization and we are doing everything we can to support those impacted in this difficult time. As we look to improve efficiencies and realign resources, we remain focused on supporting our existing games and development of our future titles.”
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The spokesperson declined to say how many people were let go or any other specifics.
Daybreak Game Company has a curious history. The company was founded in 1997 as Sony Online Entertainment as a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment. In 2015, Sony sold the company and it was renamed Daybreak Game Company.
