London-based developer Fusebox Games has responded to claims that it has made several layoffs at the company, citing a need for restructuring.
As originally reported by MCV, the studio best known for its licensed interactive fiction game Love Island: The Game (which is based on ITV's reality dating show of the same name) is said to be making some staff redundant as it switches to a co-development model with a specialist partner studio for new game Matchmaker.
A match-three game including interactive fiction and IP from the Love Island TV series, Matchmaker is already live in the UK market, with a global launch planned for later in the summer.
Launched in 2018, Love Island: The Game has been downloaded over 16 million times and has generated around $35 million from primarily the UK and Ireland. Fusebox hopes that Matchmatch will appeal to more of a global audience.
Business model change
The company released a statement saying it was currently consulting with employees on a proposed change to its business model which would see it: "migrate to a more agile co-development approach which had been successful during the production phase of its new Matchmaker: Puzzles & Stories game".
Fusebox added it would be in a position to communicate more details about staff changes following the conclusion of this consultation, and claims it is doing everything it can to support its employees during this process.
"We have been trying to produce more original content for some time but now we have a route to do so and the new cash injection and continued support from respected investors across the media and gaming industry, will help us strengthen Fusebox Games and unlock new opportunities and partnerships," said Fusebox Games CEO Wil Stephens.
"Our world-leading product, marketing and data teams are excited by the opportunity to develop additional new titles with a proposed co-development model that will enable us to scale faster and be more agile in meeting the needs of our audience."
Fusebox's head of data and growth Daniel Saunders previously spoke at PGC Digital #6 on the subject of 'How data is used to inform game design'.
