Aspyr latest to confirm pre-Xmas lay offs

Mac games developer and porting house Aspyr has confirmed it is to lay off up to a third of its staff.

The firm will make staff at its Austin studio redundant, according to Kotaku.

Founded in 1996, the company is best known as a publisher and developer of titles for the Apple Mac.

The company cited the current economic climate as the reasoning behind the downsizing.

A statement from the firm read: "The current economic environment has forced Aspyr to make some tough decisions. The most difficult of which has been a reduction in staff and the loss of some very talented, valuable team members and friends. We have taken these steps in an effort to restructure to better meet the challenges ahead. No additional staff reductions are planned or expected, and operations will continue without interruption on all titles scheduled to ship in 2009 and beyond."