Posted in: Games, Mobile Games, Niantic, Pokémon GO | Tagged: Niantic, pokemon, pokemon go

Pokémon GO Dev Niantic Issues Mass Layoffs & Game Cancelations

Word has gotten out that Nicantic has laid off 230 employees, affecting games like Pokémon GO, and ending plans for other titles.

Troubling news coming out of Niantic today as the company has laid off 230 staffers and has shuttered a few projects, with a focus on Pokémon GO moving forward. Founder John Hanke released an internal email, which was later posted as a lengthy explanation on the company's website, explaining that the major issue at hand is that the company's expenses grew while revenue declined. Blaming most of it on the recent pandemic as revenue was not pouring in like it was just prior to everything slowing and shutting down. So the layoffs are the company's way of essentially trying to steer the ship in a new direction. That includes killing off projects such as NBA All-World, and officially putting an end to the development of the upcoming Marvel: World Of Heroes. What's more, the company is moving to put more effort into Pokémon GO as a kind of "forever game" and focusing efforts on AR, Meanwhile, projects like Pikmin Bloom, Peridot, and Monster Hunter Now, all seem to be moving forward, although whether any of those titles lost staff of not is unclear. We have more from the post below.

"There are both internal and external factors. We are operating in a tough market environment due to the overall global macroeconomic slowdown, as well as unique challenges in the mobile gaming and AR markets. In the years since Pokémon GO's launch, the mobile market has become crowded and changes to the app store and the mobile advertising landscape have made it increasingly hard to launch new mobile games at scale. We also face an AR market that is developing more slowly than anticipated, because of technology challenges and because larger players are slowing down their investments in light of the macro environment."

"We also bear responsibility for our own performance. Today's highly competitive mobile gaming market requires dazzling quality and innovation. It also requires strong monetization and a social core which can drive viral growth and long term engagement. Teams need platform tools that are force multipliers, enabling them to build at the highest quality with powerful engagement features quickly and efficiently. Our AR map and platform must deliver the features that developers want in a robust and reliable way. We have not met our goals in all of these areas."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!