Industry Update: Layoffs at WB Games Montreal
- WB Games Montreal has reportedly laid off 99 members from its quality assurance team amid widespread industry layoffs.
- Major players in the gaming sector, including Sony and Microsoft, have been undergoing substantial workforce reductions and project cancellations.
- There is speculation that the adverse reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League played a pivotal role in these job cuts.
The video game industry continues to grapple with significant layoffs, with WB Games Montreal becoming the latest studio to announce cuts—specifically terminating 99 positions within its quality assurance team. This move is part of a broader trend of restructuring and downsizing that has affected numerous developers since mid-2023. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident, as major gaming studios have been impacted heavily during this period.
In the last eighteen months, many notable companies, including Embracer Group, Bungie, Sega, and Microsoft, have been compelled to implement severe workforce reductions. These layoffs have often entailed the cancellation of numerous projects, shaking the very foundation of the gaming industry. As the gaming community looks forward to a potentially brighter 2024, the recent developments at WB Games Montreal add to rising concerns about job security and project viability.
According to reports from CBC Radio Canada, WB Games Montreal announced the cuts during a staff meeting. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the layoffs predominantly affected the quality assurance team involved in the development of the critically panned Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Staff members were reportedly given the option to either consult with a job placement counselor or be placed on a recall list for employment opportunities in 2026. One former employee expressed concerns over the sudden shift in studio priorities, especially after assurances were given just months prior about upcoming projects.
WB Games Montreal Faces Job Cuts
There has yet to be an official response from WB Games Montreal regarding these layoffs, but many observers are closely linking them to the less-than-stellar reception of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. It is possible that planned updates for the game—which have since been canceled—were part of the prospective projects mentioned earlier this summer, leading to the current staffing reductions. While the definitive reasons remain unverified, the long-term repercussions of these staffing changes are a cause for concern among the gaming community.
Following earlier announcements of layoffs at Rocksteady due to similar issues with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, there is growing anxiety about the state of other studios involved in the game’s development. The cuts at WB Games Montreal have intensified scrutiny over how widespread and damaging the financial impacts may extend across the entire industry.