Funcom insists less than 50% of Oslo studio let go

Secret World developer Funcom has insisted that less than 50 per cent of its Oslo studio has been put on forced leave.

A spokesperson for the MMO outfit told Develop that no one had been laid off at the Norway-based office, and hoped those temporarily let go would be back to work as soon as possible.

No specific time scale for the return of its developers was provided however, although Norwegian law states there is a limited amount of time staff can be put on forced leave before they must return

This is despite suggestions recently made by former Secret World lead designer Martin Bruusgaard, who was also put on forced leave, that the majority of the studio had been let go.

Having chosen to leave the studio permanently, Bruusgaard has since stated he would be starting a new job in Oslo outside of the games industry.

After poor sales for Funcom’s MMO The Secret World, which has garnered just 200,000 sales, the studio revealed it was undergoing cost-cutting measures with more than 50 per cent of its staff set to be let go.

The developer also said it was set to focus on smaller titles with lower costs in future.