Warner axes ‘around sixty devs’ in Washington

Warner Brothers has reduced its game development workforce across its Washington state studios, the company has confirmed.

It is estimated that around sixty staff have been let go, though Warner would not confirm the number, nor which studio were affected.

The firm’s Seattle-based development cluster includes three high-profile studios; Monolith Productions, Snowblind Studios and Surreal Software.

Warner told Joystiq that the reductions were part of its "continual review of business operations and fluctuating market conditions."

Warner is focusing resources on its new Montreal studio, which was established following negotiations with state officials.

The Montreal region offers a tax break on production costs as high as 40 per cent. That in turn has led to many publishers, such as Square Enix and THQ, to invest large-scale studios in the region.

In a move which mirrors Warner’s recent cutbacks, THQ recently closed several studios across the US and Australia. This was done while it invests heavily in its cost-saving Montreal facility.

3D Realms co-founder George Broussard – who in recent times has tipped off the press with otherwise undisclosed details concerning staff cuts – claimed about sixty staff are affected at Warner. Broussard’s measure of staff reductions are not always completely accurate.