Portalarium lays off employees, Ultimate RPG development continues

Portalarium, the development studio founded in 2009 by Richard Garriott, has laid off an unspecified number of employees, a representative of the publisher confirmed to GamesIndustry International.

"We are reducing staff to the appropriate levels to support and grow our recently launched products, as well as continue development of Richard Garriott's Ultimate RPG," a representative from the Austin-based studio told GamesIndustry International.

Word of layoffs surfaced late last week when Paul Evans, a programmer at Portalarium, tweeted that he and others had been let go.

Portalarium develops the Facebook games Port Casino Poker, Port Casino Blackjack and Ultimate Collector. It is currently working on Ultimate RPG, a game bound for mobile and social platforms.

Richard "Lord British" Garriott is perhaps best known for developing the Ultima series of fantasy-themed role-playing games. In 2008, he became a space tourist when he flew to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft.