NFT game dev Midnight Society makes 'significant' layoffs after 'unexpected' challenges

Midnight Society, the studio behind NFT shooter Deadrop, laid off an unspecified number of staff last week.

Word of the layoffs appeared on social media over the weekend, with senior environment artist Tyler Moore saying he was "one of many" affected. The studio later confirmed the "significant workforce reduction" to PCGamer.

In its statement, Midnight Society attributed the layoffs to "multiple unexpected challenges" in recent months. It added the cuts were made to "strengthen our foundation and renew focus on our core mission."

The life and times of Midnight Society

Midnight Society was founded in 2021 by studio head Robert Bowling, creative director Quinn DelHoyo, and streamer Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm. As PCGamer pointed out, much of Deadrop was built around Beahm's online persona and his affection for the extraction shooter genre.

Beahm was ousted from Midnight Society this summer after company leadership learned he had allegedly messaged a minor via the discontinued Twitch Whispers feature in 2017. After initially denying the allegations, he admitted to the act, which led to his ban from Twitch in 2020.

In a recent interview with Esports.gg, Bowling confirmed Beahm remains uninvolved with Midnight Society. As for the studio's upcoming project, Deadrop, in a post on Discord he explained the shooter remains on track to launch in 2025.

"We'll be sharing our revised plans and milestones in the near future" reads Bowling's Discord post, "and we thank you for your continued faith in our vision."