After Hitman 3 VR debacle: 72 layoffs at troubled VR studio
Following the disappointing launch of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, British VR studio XR Games is facing a restructuring process that will see 72 employees laid off.
According to media reports and several LinkedIn posts by employees, the company is about to undergo a major restructuring, with 72 employees from various departments being made redundant. Among others, the entire IT team will be laid off. XR Games employs more than 100 people, according to its website.
At the time of writing, there is no official statement from the company.
Just before the announcement of Starship Troopers VR
The timing of this wave of layoffs comes as a surprise, as XR Games just yesterday announced a collaboration with Sony Pictures Virtual Reality that will result in the VR game Starship Troopers: Continuum for Meta Quest and Playstation VR 2. The co-op shooter is scheduled for release this month.
Disappointing launch of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded
A possible reason for the crisis at XR Games could be the disastrous launch of Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded for Meta Quest 3 in June. The VR game was panned by fans and critics and currently has 2.7 out of 5 stars on the Meta Horizon Store with just over 400 reviews.
Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded was also not well received on MIXED. Tomislav even warned against buying it in his hands-on:
"The game renders at a low resolution, which results in a lot of aliasing, people look more like mannequins than human beings, and visual elements keep popping up as you walk through the scenery, not to mention the graphical glitches. Despite the simplified graphics, the frame rate is at the limit of what is tolerable for a VR game."
XR Games previously made a name for itself with Zombieland: Headshot Fever and, in addition to the upcoming Starship Tropper VR game, also has the VR shooter Zombie Army VR in the works.
In addition to XR Games, another UK-based VR studio has recently been on the wobbly side. In September, nDreams announced layoffs at all levels.
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