Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

November 1, 2011

Ontario-based, Silicon Knights has laid off 45 employees, leaving around 40 employees left at the studio, according to multiple published reports. Earlier reports had the number a bit higher. The company is best known for developing such titles as Blood Omen, Too Human and Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, and is one of Ontario’s oldest development studios. The layoffs are apparently related to the completion of a project for Activision Blizzard.

Mike Mays, chief financial officer of Silicon Knights, confirmed the layoffs to the Financial Post on Tuesday, saying that the company laid off 45 employees — just under half its workforce — leaving an employee base of “just under 40.”

“We just finished a project with [Activision Blizzard Inc.] that got completed,” he explained.

Silicon Knights is currently negotiating contracts for new projects, according to Mays, though he didn't provide details on what those new projects might be. If the talks are successful, Mays said the company plans to rehire its former employees.

"So hopefully this layoff will be short term," he added.

Source: Financial Post

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Comments

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by MechaTama31 on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 23:21.

I kind of assumed they had ceased to exist after Too Human... >.>

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by Zerodash on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 20:29.

Who (other than himself) will Denis Dyack blame for this latest failure?

Re: Silicon Knights Confirms Layoffs

Submitted by olstar18 on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 22:19.

It sounds less like a failure to me and more like what projects they have are in the stages where they don't need much manpower.

Shout box

ZippyDSMlee: Something I did by hand on my convertiable laptop, http://zippydsmlee.deviantart.com/art/Cotlop-zelda-unfinished-sketch-WIP-finish-373937163 forgot if I posted it befor.06/19/2013 - 7:44pm

Conster: Also, I guess The War Z changed its name so they can scam some more people?06/19/2013 - 7:44pm

Conster: AE: when even HuffPo makes the same joke, it's not something you want to take credit for. :P06/19/2013 - 7:43pm

Andrew Eisen: Hey look! The War Z changed its name to Infestation: Survivor Stories. http://infestationmmo.com/06/19/2013 - 7:23pm

Andrew Eisen: You're going to have a lot of company in prison, RedMage. Most of the internet has stolen MY joke. Bastards!06/19/2013 - 7:06pm

RedMage: The cover art thing points to an industry trend of only wanting to appeal to teen boys despite the talk of "broadening the appealz"06/19/2013 - 6:17pm

RedMage: I'd like to turn myself in for unintentional theft of a joke. Ignorance of the law is no excuse :o06/19/2013 - 6:17pm

Andrew Eisen: Remember the fight to get Last of Us's Ellie on the game cover? Check this out: http://cheezburger.com/758618624006/19/2013 - 6:12pm

Andrew Eisen: RedMage - Thief! You stole my joke! You're a horrible, loathesome person! Or you simply had the same idea and didn't read my earlier shout!06/19/2013 - 5:35pm

RedMage: Maybe they're going to rename it the Xbox 18006/19/2013 - 5:26pm

IanC: Bet EA are pissed.06/19/2013 - 5:17pm

Andrew Eisen: Ah, James is just a little quicker on the keyboard than I!06/19/2013 - 5:07pm

Craig R.: Too little, too late.06/19/2013 - 4:52pm

DorthLous: PWAHAHAHAH, the MS spinning sound woke me up :)06/19/2013 - 4:27pm

Andrew Eisen: Microsoft's new console shall now be known as the Xbox One-Eighty.06/19/2013 - 4:17pm

Andrew Eisen: I imagine we were typing our respective shouts at the same time.06/19/2013 - 4:14pm

MaskedPixelante: So Andrew... is there going to be a new poll now? I mean, the one about the XBO DRM is kinda no longer relevant.06/19/2013 - 4:13pm

Andrew Eisen: In light of Xbox One's furious backpeddling on its DRM policies, I'm closing the poll for now. I'll probably write a new one later today or tomorrow.06/19/2013 - 4:11pm

IanC: Found three people whining about this so far. Saying that its because of cheapasses and that its going to be horrible online now. W T and indeed F.06/19/2013 - 4:09pm

Andrew Eisen: Technogeek - I agree but: "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again." Why do I need to connect online to set up a system I'm not going to use online?06/19/2013 - 4:07pm

All shouts

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