Turbine Entertainment, creator of Asheron’s Call, Dungeon & Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online, has been hit by an unspecified number of layoffs according to the Boston Globe. Close to the developer’s hometown of Needham, MA, the Boston Globe confirmed the layoffs with a spokeswomen for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Turbine’s parent.
“As part of the continual review of our business operations and fluctuating market conditions, we have had to make reductions in our Turbine workforce,” said Remi Sklar.
Turbine Entertainment has more than 400 employees and is the backbone of the video game industry in the area. The news is especially surprising given the fact that Turbine announced it had hired handful of top-level talent, including 38 Studios, Petroglyph, Zynga and Mortal Kombat alums, earlier this month.
This is the second layoff to hit the Boston video game industry this week. Zynga announced the shutdown of its Boston studio as part of a 5% staff reduction (while the Apple press event was top of the tech news) on Tuesday. Suzie Owen, a former community specialist for Turbine, confirmed her status on Twitter shortly after the news broke, stating “Looking for work in the Boston – Providence area any links would be most appreciate. I am unable to relocate at this time.”
Best of luck to all those affected by the recent layoffs.
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