Krome CEO announces â??incredibly difficultâ?? layoffs

Krome Studios, one of the world’s largest independent developers, has announced it will make staff cuts across its three studios in Australia.

The development group had a workforce of around 400 before the cuts were announced, with studios in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane.

Krome cited “declining game sales” in a prepared statement published on Industry Gamers, but the firm did not reveal how many staff would be let go.

CEO Robert Walsh said that the layoffs were an “incredibly difficult” step to take, and indicated that the firm hasn’t lost hope in re-employing those let go.

“With declining game sales, the industry is really feeling the effects of the struggling economy. In spite of industry-wide cut backs and Krome’s need to reduce costs, we’ve worked really hard to minimize the impact on our staff,” he said.

“These cuts, while incredibly difficult as they affect the coworkers we consider friends, are necessary as we position Krome for the future.”

Walsh added that the firm was “actively pursuing several business opportunities which, if secured, will enable Krome to re-employ some of the staff given notice.”

The news comes in the wake of EA’s mass layoff operation, which will see 900 developers looking for a new job.