Developer ProbablyMonsters lays off Battle Barge staff after project cancellation

ProbablyMonsters is eliminating roles in the wake of a recently cancelled project. Senior technical artist Mic Marvin stated "about 50" workers were let go in total, and level designer Ed Byrne said these eliminations were focused on the internal Battle Barge team.

"On the anniversary of being caught in Bungie's first round of layoffs," he said, "it seems ProbablyMonsters has followed suit with the Battle Barge team."

According to senior environment artist Carol T., this is the developer's third unannounced project to be scrapped. Many of these reductions appear to be focused on the art team, with one 3D character artist and another 3D character animator (both posting on Linkedin) indicating they were also impacted.

In a statement to Game Developer, ProbablyMonsters explained it was undergoing a "realignment to support smaller, more nimble teams and projects. We believe this format better matches the needs of players and the market. [...] Our hearts go out to everyone impacted as we navigate the new realities of the gaming landscape as an independent company."

Earlier this year, ProbablyMonsters added Bungie alum Chris Opdahl to lead internal studio Hidden Grove on development of an unannounced multiplayer project. In 2021, the studio raised $250 million in funding to bolster its various development teams.

At the time of that funding, one of those teams was developer Firewalk Studios, which closed down earlier this week after the failed launch of its multiplayer shooter Concord. Before PlayStation bought Firewalk in 2023, it was one of the first teams launched by ProbablyMonsters.

Since then, ProbablyMonsters itself has yet to release or even announce the games its teams are working on. Last year, it cancelled an unannounced game being made by its internal Cauldron team. Other than Hidden Grove, Battle Barge remains the only other named team listed on the ProbablyMonsters website.

In that same statement, the studio said it "currently has several game projects underway, in various stages from incubation to active development."