Pokémon GO creator lays off 8% workforce, cancels four projects
Since its global launch, Pokemon Go has sparked a worldwide frenzy among users who have taken to the streets with their smartphones. PHOTO: REUTERS
Gaming company Niantic Inc. creators of Pokémon, is facing economic turmoil and as a result, the company has cut 85 to 90 jobs and cancelled four of its projects.
In an email reviewed by Bloomberg, the Chief Executive Officer of Niantic Inc. John Hanke admitted to the staff that the company is going through a financial crisis and has been trying to reduce the costs as much as they can. However, since the situation is getting difficult over time, the company needs to streamline the operations further.
In a statement to The Verge, Niantic VP of communications Jonny Thaw said, “We recently decided to stop production on some projects and reduce our workforce by about eight percent to focus on our key priorities”. He further added, “This means we can focus on our most important priorities, including Pokémon Go and a select set of new experiences, as well as the Lightship platform.”
The company has laid off 85 to 90 employees which make up to 8% of its workforce. The cancelled projects include Heavy Metal, Hamlet which is a collaboration between Niantic and Punchdrunk, Blue Sky and Snowball.
Niantic Inc is known for the massive success of Pokémon Go which was launched in 2016. However, the company has not been able to create anything that matches its success.