Embracer fires Mythforce developer Beamdog

Embracer Group has made layoffs Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition And myth power Developer Beamdog less than two years after acquiring the studio.

The Swedish conglomerate purchased Beamdog through its subsidiary Aspyr Media in April 2022 for an undisclosed fee. Now, according to several LinkedIn posts from former Beamdog employees, the company has laid off 26 members of the development team, including producers, artists and quality assurance staff.

Former Beamdog co-producer Misia Bloniarz noted: “On Friday, 26 people were laid off at Beamdog and, unfortunately, I am one of them.” The news was confirmed by those affected, including the studio’s former QA manager Erin McIntyre and deputy Graphic designer Jill Hollet.

“Unfortunately, as part of Embracer Group’s ongoing restructuring initiative, Beamdog has made the difficult decision to lay off 26 employees, including me,” Hollet wrote. “I am incredibly grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to begin my professional journey in the industry. It was an honor to work with such extraordinary people during my time there.”

Embracer continues to put pressure on studios

This is the latest in a series of layoffs and studio closures that Embracer has approved, with the company attempting to streamline its operations to become a “high cash flow company.”

In June, the company announced it would shift from its “current heavy investment mode” after years of injecting money into major game studios, publishers and franchises.

After the exponential increase, company boss Lars Wingefors said Embracer needed to divest or close some of its studios and terminate or pause ongoing development projects with “low projected returns” to “better leverage our size, the quality of our portfolio and our capabilities.”

These ongoing restructuring efforts have already resulted in the closure of big-name studios like Volition and Campfire Cabal, as well as layoffs at other companies like Gearbox Publishing and Rainbow Studios.

According to a recent report from Reuters, Embracer is also considering selling border areas Developer Gearbox Entertainment just over two years after purchasing the company for $1.38 billion.

The game developer has reached out to Embracer for comment on the layoffs at Beamdog and will update this story when we hear back.