In a recent development, Greedfall developer Spiders has laid off a significant portion of its animation team. The announcement came via LinkedIn from Lead Animator Erwan Perrin, who shared the unfortunate news, stating that, like many others in the industry, Spiders is facing a layoff plan, with most of the animation and rigging team affected. Perrin also reached out to the community, offering his services and encouraging others to connect if they were looking for talented animators or rig artists based in Paris.
This news marks yet another instance in the ongoing wave of layoffs sweeping across the gaming industry.
Recently, major studios such as Warner Bros. (which closed down Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB Games San Diego), EA (which laid off hundreds, including staff from Respawn and Codemasters), and Microsoft (which shut down The Initiative and canceled an MMO in development at ZeniMax Online Studios) have followed suit. The mid-sized companies are not immune either, with Spiders now joining the list.
In addition to the layoffs, Greedfall 2: The Dying World, the highly anticipated sequel to the original Greedfall, has struggled since its launch in early access. Despite its potential, the game peaked at just 375 concurrent players on Steam and is currently seeing a daily peak of only 10 players. The critical reception has also been less than favorable, with user reviews sitting at a disappointing 55%, and even more recent reviews dropping to a meager 40%. A key issue for many players, including the article’s author, is the combat system. The switch from the real-time action combat of the first Greedfall to a tab-targeting system, reminiscent of Dragon Age: Origins and MMOs like World of Warcraft, has left fans feeling let down. While Spiders has attempted to address some of the complaints with improved animations and sound effects, the core mechanics remain unchanged, and they feel outdated to many players. It’s a sad turn for a franchise that once showed so much promise and deserved a stronger follow-up.