Gameloft significantly reduced Kharkiv office: even the head of the studio was fired

Over the past few months, there have been massive layoffs at the Gameloft office in Kharkiv. Even the head of the studio, who worked there for 14 years, as well as game designers, QA engineers, and developers, were affected by the downsizing.

According to DOU, citing its own sources, more people were laid off in Kharkiv than in the Lviv studio.

40+ employees

The exact number of people who lost their jobs could not be determined. There is no communication between teams from different projects at Gameloft. However, information circulated within the walls of the Kharkiv office that more people were laid off than in Lviv.

It should be noted that in February, 38 employees were laid off at Gameloft Lviv. The reason cited was the need for resource optimization. Therefore, it can be assumed that more than 40 people were let go in Kharkiv.

The list also included the head of the studio, Artem Nabatov. He had been with the company for over 14 years. According to our information, the manager was let go first.

"We were warned sufficiently in advance - no one was fired in just one day. The process was unpleasant, as the management first mentioned there would be layoffs. And then - made everyone personally inquire about their fate. However, answers were not given, citing that it was 'not a final decision.' Then a council was held for each person, where the reason for their dismissal was stated. After that, the timelines for the layoffs were announced - from 2 weeks to 3 months. Since everything happened closer to the end of winter, people gradually left the company. The process continued into the spring," sources said.

The employees who lost their jobs did not receive any compensation. The management justified this by saying that people were not immediately fired, but were given the opportunity to "work a little while longer." The only thing the specialists received were payments for unused vacation days.

As of January 2024, a total of 600 people were employed at the Gameloft offices in Kharkiv and Lviv.