Illfonic Restructures Team Following “Killer Klowns” Success

Image courtesy of Illfonic/Teravision Games.

Denver-based developer Illfonic has stated they’ve had to “acknowledge the tough reality” of the gaming industry lately and reduce their workforce.

On X, studio CEO Charles Brungardt elaborated that the studio let go of employees to “realign to a streamlined strategy.” As of this writing, it remains unclear how many individuals have been affected.

Illfonic is well-known for creating multiplayer video games inspired by horror film franchises. They were the original developers of Friday the 13th: The Game before Black Tower Studios took over its development. Following that transition, they produced 2018’s Predator: Hunting Grounds, 2022’s Ghostbusters Unleashed, and this year’s Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

On top of that, they also created popular titles like Arcadegeddon and Nexuiz, and have served as a support studio for projects such as Crysis 3 and Star Citizen..

This makes them the latest studio to downsize its staff this week. Just yesterday, December 3, Ubisoft announced the closure of its San Francisco and Osaka studios along with the termination of its free-to-play shooter, xDefiant. A team located in Sydney is also being “scaled back,” impacting a total of 277 staff members.

On the same day, Deceive Inc. developer Sweet Bandits Studios announced its own closure. The 18-person team stated it had reached a “breaking point” trying to maintain viability since its release in March 2023. As the team disbands, both they and their publisher, Tripwire Interactive, are exploring options to support the game for as long as possible.

Game Developer has reached out to Illfonic regarding the number of affected staff and the reasons for the layoffs, and will provide updates once a response is received.

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