Harmonix layoff 17

Rock Band developers Harmonix Music Systems have let 17 people go.

The Boston-based developers have laid off a group of people in a bid to restructure. Reaching out to Harmonix, they responded with a statement: "Today we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to 17 talented people as we restructured to align with our current and anticipated development needs."

"These people all played a role in making Harmonix and its games what they are today and we are more than grateful for their contributions. We are working to ensure that they are taken care of as we make this change."

Harmonix recently announced music-based card battler Dropmix, but previously had been through the wringer somewhat after the market for music based games with expensive peripherals declined.

A source has reached out to Gamasutra to suggest that Harmonix has been "quietly letting staffers go all year," with Gamasutra running with an estimate that 7 other positions have been cut in 2017.