Unity’s Turbulent Times: The Strains of Mass Layoffs and Disrupted Communication

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Unity has allocated $205 million to eliminate 25 percent of its workforce this fiscal year, and it seems the company is far from finished.

Multiple reports from (now former) Unity employees reveal that the game engine developer is continuing to cut positions throughout its operations.

A forum post by Behavior tech lead Shanee Nishry stated that their entire team had been cut during another wave of layoffs.

Behavior is a visual tool for crafting behaviors used to manage NPCs and objects. According to Nishry’s LinkedIn profile, they developed the tool in their personal time before it became a core Unity offering.

Nishry mentioned they have requested Unity to make the tool open-source, but it remains uncertain whether that request will be fulfilled.

Unity’s lead game designer, André de Miranda Cardoso, clarified that they were also affected by a layoff wave that occurred “suddenly.”

5am Layoff Emails and Other Disheartening Communication from Unity

More accounts like these exist, including a post from Unity senior technical artist Peter Roe (as reported by 80.lv) who indicated he was notified his position was being eliminated via an email sent at 5am from a ‘noreply@unity’ address.

“I was impacted by layoffs at Unity today, along with many skilled and dedicated colleagues. Although this news is difficult, I’m extremely thankful for the nearly three years I spent with the company,” he expressed on LinkedIn.

“That said, I want to emphasize the manner Unity decided to communicate these layoffs. Receiving a 5am email from ‘noreply@unity’ notifying me that my role was being ‘terminated’ and that I would lose system access by day’s end felt entirely abrupt and impersonal. Unity must improve how they treat their staff during challenging times like this.”

Last year, Unity declared that its restructuring initiative would generate “significant” revenue growth and promote strong financials. This move was part of a broader corporate overhaul following the exit of former CEO John Riccitiello after the prolonged Runtime Fee controversy.

Riccitiello was eventually permanently replaced by current CEO Matthew Bromberg, who abandoned the revised Runtime Fee in an effort to regain the trust of the development community.

Game Developer has reached out to Unity for a statement.

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