Wildstar developer lays off 60, further cuts at NCSoft

Polygon has received word today that NCSoft-owned Carbine Studios has laid off "around 60" employees. This is in addition to further layoffs across NCSoft's western operations.

In a statement provided to Polygon by NCSoft, the layoffs were described as part of "a restructuring of key operations with [NCSoft] West." The publisher says it is devoted to its core massively multiplayer franchises — Aion, Wildstar, Lineage, and Guild Wars — but it also plans to expand into mobile and tablet products.

According to the statement, there were "staff reductions" across all of NCSoft's western branches except for Guild Wars developer ArenaNet.

A source speaking to Polygon who wished to remain unnamed said that Carbine was especially hard-hit by the layoffs. The studio reportedly lost over 60 members of its team of a few hundred. Our source says the layoffs included Carbine employees across all levels, not just entry level or less senior staff.

Carbine was founded in 2005 and released its first game, the sci-fi MMO Wildstar, earlier this year. You can read Polygon's review of Wildstar here.

The full statement provided by NCSoft is below:

Today we announced a restructuring of key operations within NC West. As a result of this restructuring, we are implementing staff reductions across our Western operations with the exclusion of ArenaNet. While decisions like this are always hard, they are necessary as we begin the implementation of a new strategy designed to strengthen our footing as a leader in global entertainment.

Moving forward, we will continue to focus on our core development capabilities and the intellectual properties (WildStar, Aion, Lineage, and Guild Wars franchises) that have made NCSOFT what it is today. However, we are looking to move into new business segments like mobile and tablet games as well as explore emerging technologies.

Again, the decision to reduce staff was not an easy one, and we sincerely wish everyone well in their next endeavors.