2K has confirmed to Polygon that a round of layoffs have hit 2K Marin, however reports have surfaced claiming the studio will be shut down entirely.
“We can confirm staff reductions at 2K Marin,” a statement from 2K reads. “While these were difficult decisions, we regularly evaluate our development efforts and have decided to reallocate creative resources. Our goal to create world-class video game titles remain unchanged.”
The statement does not comment on how many staffers had been let go but sources have told Polygon that the “majority” of 2K Marin’s staff had been let go. Another source even said they were “100 percent sure” that 2K Marin as we know it is closed. This is backed up by a Rock Paper Shotgun report saying a source has told the site that 2K Marin was “essentially” done for.
Take-Two was said to have moved some of 2K Marin’s staff to the new 2K Studio being headed by Rod Fergusson in the Bay Area. However another source told Rock Paper Shotgun that not many employees were offered a position there. “A couple of weeks ago, the new 2K team in Novato (the one Rod Fergusson is leading) interviewed and made offers to a small number of 2K Marin team members,” the source said. “I don’t know exactly how many, but it wasn’t a lot. It sounds like everyone who was not offered a position on that team was let go today.”
Some developers have now taken to Twitter to say that they had lost their jobs including senior sound designer Byron Evora and game designer Ryan Mattson, who had his 5-year anniversary at 2K today.
2K Marin was formed in 2007 by a core group of developers from the original BioShock. It produced BioShock 2, and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.
(via GI International, Develop)