The world is currently seeing a wave of layoffs from companies as everyone is adjusting to the advent of AI and reducing demand, and it looks like Unity has joined the fray as well. In what is being described as a company reset, the company has announced the laying off of 265 jobs.
According to the official announcement, the employees who have been laid off will be given one week to complete their pending tasks, after which, their positions will be terminated. This is harrowing news for everyone involved, especially since this news has broken just ahead of Christmas.
Unity has also announced that they will be shutting down offices in close to 14 locations, including Berlin and Singapore, while reducing the office footprint in San Francisco and Belleview, Washington. Work from office will also not be mandatory and the in-office services will be reduced to three days a week.
Weta FX, who acquired Unity, split off into a new and independent entity right after the acquisition. Unity, on the other hand, acquired Weta’s manpower and the tech required to maintain pipelines and FX, Weta’s data platform. “Unity will retain ownership of the technology it acquired from W?t? in December 2021 and will be evaluating the best way to enhance its offerings with it over time. The technology will also remain fully available to Weta FX,” Weta said in a statement.
This downslide for Unity began after they publicly announced their intention to charge developers and users for game installations. There was an obvious public backlash and the company took an instant U-turn and issued a full public apology.
In the meantime, Weta has announced that they will try and offer roles to all the affected employees, as an act of good faith. Hopefully, they do it soon, and the employees can enjoy a stress free holiday season.
