Humble Games, known for indie hits like “Signalis,” “Wizard of Legend,” and “Temtem,” has announced layoffs that will leave its entire staff of 36 jobless. In a meeting, Steve Horowitz from Ziff Davis cited delays and rising costs as pervasive issues. Despite two attempts to sell the company, no viable offers were made.
Future projects will be managed by The Powell Group. Former employees expressed frustration, criticizing Ziff Davis for mismanagement and stating that this decision will hurt indie game development and its employees.
During the morning meeting, Horowitz explained that Ziff Davis had tried to sell Humble Games twice, but neither attempt generated significant interest or offers. He noted that rising development costs and prolonged delays in bringing titles to market led to the tough decision to restructure. This move aims to ensure the completion of existing projects and support the developers involved, though it means all roles within Humble Games are affected.
A spokesperson for Humble Games framed this as a restructuring rather than a closure, a stance echoed in their Twitter statement. However, with all employees laid off and a third party taking over operations, former employees argue that what remains is Humble Games in name only.
Former employees voiced their displeasure, with one anonymous source accusing Ziff Davis of misleading the public to save face. Chris Radley, a former creative lead at Humble Games, criticized the decision on LinkedIn, calling it a failure of leadership and disrespectful to the hardworking staff.