Bossa Games Scales Back Team to Focus on Lost Skies Development

Bossa Games, previously known as Bossa Studios, has made the difficult decision to lay off additional staff. This comes after a prior round of redundancies at the end of 2023, which left 40 employees dedicated to the development of its upcoming project, Lost Skies. At this time, the exact number of staff affected by the latest cuts remains uncertain. The announcement was made in a statement shared on LinkedIn by Co-Founder and Co-CEO Henrique Olifiers. You can read the full statement in LinkedIn.

In his message, Olifiers reflected on the significant disruption that has swept through the games industry over the past few years, with many renowned studios, teams, and games being either shut down or substantially scaled back. “The past couple of years have brought a significant amount of disruption to the games industry at large, with treasured studios, teams and games being shut down or significantly scaled back. We've all read the news, suffered through the changes ourselves or seen it through the eyes of peers and colleagues affected. In our view, this is not a phase, it's a fundamental transformation of the games industry, a reshape of how games are made and by what kinds of teams. The industry of two years in the future will not look like the industry of two years ago,” Olifiers stated.

He went on to explain that the company has been forced to make the painful decision to scale back, with a focus on the late-stage production of Lost Skies and its forthcoming launch. “We've had to make the painful decision to scale back, focusing on the late-stage production of Lost Skies and its upcoming launch, ensuring the game is successfully released and evolved for its players for the foreseeable future. Once Lost Skies is established and enjoying live operations, we'll reshape into small teams working independently on novel game ideas brought to the players as early as possible.”

Olifiers expressed his regret at having to say goodbye to many talented and treasured colleagues who have been part of the company’s journey for a long time. He acknowledged that they wished there had been an alternative to scaling back, but ultimately, the decision was unavoidable given the current industry challenges. He also extended his support to industry peers facing similar hardships, advising that if they are in a position to hire, they would be hard-pressed to find talent better than a former Bossian.

Adding a note of optimism amid the restructuring, a new gameplay trailer for Lost Skies was released just two weeks ago, showcasing the game’s floating islands and an innovative traversal system that players can look forward to experiencing.

Although the release date for Lost Skies remains unannounced, the studio is focused on ensuring its successful launch and continued evolution post-release.

What are your thoughts on Bossa Games' strategic decision to scale back its team in light of the industry-wide transformations? Share your opinions in the comments and join the discussion!