Outright Games is making 27 employees redundant. The Chicken Run: Eggstraction and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed publisher said the decision will enable it to adapt to shifting market conditions.
“After careful consideration and reviewing a number of possible paths forward, we have made the difficult decision to begin a redundancy process that will impact 27 roles at Outright Games across our UK and Spanish teams. These decisions were not taken lightly, and we are fully committed to supporting our colleagues throughout this transition,” a company spokesperson told Game Developer.
“These changes form part of ensuring Outright Games is aligned with market conditions and is structured for the future. Our focus remains on delivering high-quality family entertainment.”
Outright largely specializes in family-friendly licensed titles. It has brought multiple projects to market this year, including NBA Bounce, Barbie Horse Trails, and Bratz Rhythm & Style.
The studio also develops some projects internally, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed—which was produced by Spanish subsidiary Aheartfulofgames.
The publisher, however, came under fire earlier this year when multiple Aheartfulofgames employees accused Outright leadership of mismanagement and negligence.
“It became increasingly clear to teams across the group that the new leadership was prioritizing low-cost, fast-turnaround projects, a strategy which tends to lead to lower quality outputs and a deterioration in working conditions,” said the Spanish studio.
Aheartfulofgames staffers ultimately claimed they were being put to the sword by their parent company.
“It feels like they have their mind set on closing us at any cost,” said one source, speaking to Game Developer in July. “They tell us we are just not competitive enough, but we were being super competitive when we finished Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—and suddenly, the moment we stopped working on that project, we became uncompetitive.”
Game Developer has reached out to Outright for more information on the current status of Aheartfulofgames.
