Sony Santa Monica suffers layoffs

God of War developer Sony Santa Monica has been hit with a round of layoffs, Sony Computer Entertainment of America has confirmed.

The publisher told IGN a reduction in workforce took place yesterday at the SoCal-based development studio, stating the cuts are the result of resource re-alignment.

"SCEA can confirm that we have completed a reduction in workforce at Santa Monica Studio. This is a result of a cycle of resource re-alignment against priority growth areas within SCE WWS,” the statement read.

We do not take these decisions lightly. However, sometimes it is necessary to make changes to better serve the future projects of the studio. We have offered outplacement services and severance packages to ease transition for those impacted."

The layoffs were initially leaked to IGN by unidentified sources, who indicated that one of the Sony Santa Monica’s active projects ended up getting canceled as a result of the staff reduction.

That bit has yet to be acknowledged by SCEA. The company also chose not to reveal any specifics regarding how many SSM employees were let go – and how many are now left working at the studio.