Harmonix lays off 17 in the name of restructuring

Boston-based Harmonix Music Systems, best known for its Rock Band and Dance Central games, has laid off a number of people this week as part of an effort to restructure the studio.

"Today we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to 17 talented people as we restructured to align with our current and anticipated development needs," a Harmonix spokesperson told Gamasutra. 

"These people all played a role in making Harmonix and its games what they are today and we are more than grateful for their contributions. We are working to ensure that they are taken care of as we make this change."

As always, if you or someone you know have been affected by these layoffs, you can email Gamasutra to share your story confidentially. 

Update: A source familiar with the matter reports Harmonix has been quietly letting staffers go all year, and estimates that there were at least 7 positions cut prior to this week's layoffs, bringing the total number of jobs lost at the studio in 2017 to at least 24.