Report: Layoffs Hit Singularity Developer Raven Software

Madison, WI-based Singularity and Wolfenstein developer Raven Software laid off a number of employees on Monday, according to web reports. Gaming site Kotaku reported that 40 people were let go, citing information from unnamed staff directly affected by the layoffs. There is no official confirmation of the number of layoffs from parent company Activision. But Activision did confirm that restructuring occurred, stating, "With the recent completion of Singularity, Raven Software is realigning its workforce to better reflect the studio's upcoming slate." Singularity garnered strong reviews after its release this summer, though Activision said sales performance fell short of the publisher's expectations. The studio is rumored to be changing its focus to digitally-distributed content as opposed to packaged goods, although Activision is not verifying those details. Gamasutra has contacted an official with the studio and will update with any new information. Raven Software last saw layoffs just over a year ago, following the completion of the movie tie-in game X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Reports at the time pegged the remaining staff at around 130 employees. Raven was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel and has worked on games including Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and X-Men II: Rise of the Apocalypse. It has also worked closely with id Software on games including Quake 4 and Wolfenstein. Activision acquired the studio in 1997.