Kuju confirms staff cut-backs

British developer Kuju has confirmed to Develop that it has made redundancies across a number of of its offices – but says that it remains optimistic about company growth in 2009.

10 positions at Zoe Mode are ‘at risk’ the firm said, with some other jobs lost at Kuju America, Sheffield-based Chemistry, and Kuju’s corporate headquarters in Shalford.

A statement from president Jonathan Newth stated: "Kuju has generally adopted a more cautious approach at the start of 2009 in light of market conditions. As a developer with nearly 20 years experience of game development trends, we know how important it is to have the right number of people with the best mix of skills for the scale and nature of our projects.

He explained: "Up to ten design or art posts at Zoe Mode are at risk; although total head count in the studio is expected to remain broadly level at around 150 as roles are opened in other disciplines. There have also been some redundancies in Kuju America, a small number in Chemistry in Sheffield and Kuju’s corporate headquarters in Shalford.

"We are continuing to recruit in our other studios and we expect to find roles for some of the redundant staff in those studios. Overall Kuju is expecting continued growth in 2009 although probably not at the 25%+ growth levels of 2007 and 2008."