Scopely, the Savvy Games Group-owned publisher of Monopoly GO! and many more smash hits laid off a number of staff on Friday.
The details came to light via posts on LinkedIn with industry watcher and careers guru Amir Satvat taking to the social site to report that staff had been let go, "mostly at the Kingdom Maker studio".
Kingdom Maker is a free-to-play medieval fantasy combat game which gained a full release on iOS and Android in 2022. Developed by Global Worldwide in partnership with Scopely it became part of the company's triumvirate of mobile titles, which included Star Trek: Fleet Command and Marvel Strike Force, and played a key part in providing a portfolio that attracted the subsequent acquisition by Savvy Games Group in April 2023.
Since Savvy's purchase Scopely has found enormous success with Monopoly GO! with that title stealing much of the limelight alongside the ever popular Stumble Guys with updates to Kingdom Maker (and older Scopely titles) becoming less frequent.
Word of mouth
Satvat reported the Scopely job losses alongside losses at Daybreak Studios before subsequently correcting his post here.
Satvat invites comment in which it's clear that members of the Kingdom Maker team have been let go but precise details and numbers were unknown (see updated comment from Scopely below).
"Kingdom Maker casualty reporting here. Thanks for the visibility. I actually didn't know how many of us were let go before this," writes Stefan Scrogan, an animator and tech artist who describes himself as "open for work".
Ellie Martin, a character designer and illustrator, also confirms her job loss and similar status. Likewise designer, illustrator and maker Savannah Ervin confirms "same here".
Official statement
Subsequently Scopely's comments to PocketGamer.biz are as follows:
"Our Midcore division recently made the decision to end its publishing partnership with Global Worldwide on the title Kingdom Maker and redeploy the Scopely team supporting the project to other Scopely games.
We remain a strategic investor in Global Worldwide, which will continue to operate and publish Kingdom Maker. We know they will continue to deliver great experiences for the game's loyal audience.
While the majority of the Scopely team has already found homes on other games, approx. 15 teammates may not find mutual role fits at Scopely. Should that be the case, we will support these individuals as they transition to new opportunities with external career resources and outplacement assistance.
We are immensely grateful for the contributions of our Kingdom Maker team members who are affected by this decision."
As ever Satvat encourages any and all game makers who have been affected by the recent downturns to visit his resources as he seeks to connect the industry and help staff find new employment.
