Elder Scrolls Online team suffers layoffs

Elder Scrolls Online team Zenimax Online Studios has been hit with a round of layoffs, Bethesda VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines has confirmed.

Hines provided an explanation for the redundancies toJoystiq– stating that the level of customer service necessary six months ago when the game launched is no longer required, and emphasizing that the company is still strongly invested in the MMO.

"As is the norm for games of this type, we had ramped up a large workforce to develop a game of vast scale, and ramped up our customer service to handle the expected questions and community needs of The Elder Scrolls Online at launch," Hines said. "Now that we are nearly 6 months post launch, we have a thriving online community in a game that runs smoothly."

"We remain strongly committed to The Elder Scrolls Online, and continue to invest heavily to develop new content for PC players, prepare the game for its console launch, and handle our planned expansion into important international territories. As for customer service, we continue to operate large support centers in Hunt Valley, MD and Galway, Ireland."

Hines did not disclose the exact number of staff affected by the move.