Despite starting 2023 well, tech companies are right now on the verge of a big wave of layoffs. The layoff surge is affecting the gaming industry the most. Big names in the world of gaming like Ubisoft, Take-Two, Riot Games, and CD Project Red have joined this wave by laying off their employees to a massive extent.

Amidst this critical situation, another big name, IO Interactive has stepped in. No, not to join the layoff force, but rather to help those who are affected by it. Let’s explore the whole story.

IO Interactive on the Rescue

Following this crisis, IO Interactive has come up with an array of open positions at their companies. As of now, there are two prime projects on the cards at IO Interactive – Project Fantasy, and Project 007. Along with these two projects, IOI is also looking for various positions for their Glacier Gaming Engine.

Project Fantasy is a new IP from IO Interactive. This is an online fantasy RPG that will be based on the medieval era. For these projects, the following projects are open:

• Gameplay Director
• Lead Multiplayer Programmer
• Lead Sound Designer
• Principal Technical Artist

Another important IP from the makers of Hitman, IO Interactive, is James Bond’s Project 007. The game is under development. For this project, these roles are open:

• AI Programmer
• Cinematic Artist
• Gameplay Animator
• Lead Game Designer
• Lead Gameplay Programmer
• Senior Combat Designer
• Senior Gameplay Producer
• Senior or Mid-Cinematic Animator
• Technical Designer

For their iconic game engine, Glacier, these positions are open:

• Animation Teach Programmer
• Build Engineer
• C++ Programmer
• Senior Audio Programmer
• Tech Support Lead
• Tools Programmer

You can find the open positions in IO Interactive here.

In this catastrophic situation, IO Interactive is still committed to delivering a superior gaming experience to its fans. These job postings show how dedicated the company is to these two upcoming projects.

All about this big wave of layoffs

This layoff wave started when Microsoft laid off 343 Halo Infinite developers. Things got scarier when Microsoft expanded this layoff spree across its other companies, like Bethesda. Months later, other companies started to follow in the footsteps of Microsoft.

Here is someone who was heavily affected by this wave:

On May 23, Sega announced that its subsidiary company, Relic Entertainment, would cut 121 employees. Sega stated that this decision was taken at a tough time when external factors were challenging the company. The acquisition of Angry Birds maker Rovio, worth $775 million, is speculated to be the external factor.

Read More: After Massive Microsoft Layoff How Will the Halo Franchise Save Itself?

Alongside these, here are other details of the numbers of laid-off employees from various companies:

• Firaxis: 30
• CD Projekt Red: 30
• Kabam Games: 90
• Unity: 600
• Electronic Arts: 1,000
• Ubisoft: 60
• Phoenix Labs: 9 percent
• Riot Games: 46
• Brace yourself: around 20
• InnoGames: 45
• Playable Worlds: 11

The gaming industry is right now facing a hard time. This time, it is the duty of the gaming companies to take the initiative to streamline the whole system again. And IO Interactive may have taken the first step in this process. These job openings are not only a testament to their commitment to their upcoming projects, but they also show how desperate they are to bring back the golden age of the gaming industry.

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