As a long-time fan who has seen my fair share of industry ups and downs, this news about WB Games Montréal is nothing short of disheartening. The sudden layoff of 99 staff members, primarily from the Keywords Studios QA team, feels like a cruel twist of fate, especially after being reassured just a few months ago that there was enough work to go around.
Christmas may be just around the corner, but the atmosphere is grim at WB Games Montréal.
Based on information from Radio-Canada, it appears that a Canadian studio is reducing its workforce by 99 employees. This decision is linked to the underperformance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
A large number of affected parties belong to the temporary workforce associated with the Quality Assurance (QA) department at Keywords Studios, a well-known company that specializes in ensuring compatibility and certification for devices like the Steam Deck.
A Tale of Surprise Layoffs
A worker who was impacted by the situation shared with Radio-Canada that the announcement came as a surprise, given that during this summer’s company meeting, managers had emphasized that there was plenty of work at WB Montréal to keep everyone busy, and layoffs were not under consideration.
During a recent video call, I received unfortunate news from the Quality Assurance team at Keywords Studios – we’ve been let go. This decision comes on the heels of reports that ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’ will no longer receive support. As a fan, it’s disheartening to see such a promising project lose momentum.
According to the reports, employees were informed that they would have an eight-week notice period. During this time, they could opt for assistance from the company in finding a new job opportunity or choose to be placed on the list for future employment.
It’s not unexpected that some people who experienced layoffs felt disappointed with the company’s reaction.
Although guidance from HR experts is valued, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the current gaming industry job market is exceptionally tough, being one of the harshest in recent decades. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, HR advisors have limited ability to alter these challenging conditions.
Employees won’t be recalled until at least the year 2026, marking the soonest possible timeframe for future assignments.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Warner Bros Earnings
As the year nears its close, it leaves behind a path marked by closed video game projects and development studios that didn’t survive till the end.
Despite Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League not flopping nearly as much as Concord, the game still fell short of player expectations.
In the Q2 2024 Warner Bros earnings report, it’s indicated that gaming revenues dropped by around 41%, primarily due to low sales of the game “Suicide Squad,” which was launched in February.
As a gamer, I jumped into Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, expecting an exhilarating experience. The characters were modeled beautifully, and the gameplay mechanics were mostly enjoyable. However, something just didn’t click – the overall execution felt off somehow.
On January 25th, 2025, the game will receive its final seasonal update. This marks the end of another title that sadly contributed to the demise of its creators.
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2024-12-13 02:08