18 employees affected as 'the continuation of the studio in its current shape is no longer a commercially viable path'
OtherSide Entertainment, the developer behind Thick as Thieves, has undergone another round of layoffs, impacting 18 employees from its team. The Boston-based studio made this decision as it became evident that maintaining the studio in its current form was no longer financially sustainable. This move follows the positive reception to Thick as Thieves' initial campaign launch post its release in May.
The game was released under Aonic Group's Megabit label, following Aonic's acquisition of OtherSide in 2023. Despite the team's dedication and hard work, the studio expressed gratitude to its employees while acknowledging the lack of feasible alternatives. Presently, fewer than ten employees are left at the studio, primarily focusing on supporting Thick as Thieves' ongoing performance.
According to a spokesperson, there are no immediate plans for the studio to engage in any new game development projects. This recent layoff comes after 17 employees were let go due to the cancellation of the in-progress project codenamed Argos, attributed to the extremely competitive nature of the industry, deeming the project unviable at the moment. OtherSide Entertainment was established in 2014 by Paul Neurath and saw Tencent acquiring the rights to its System Shock IP in 2020, which also led to a previous round of layoffs.
