GamingLayoffs.com records 35 studio closures and 12,000+ layoffs in 2026

GamingLayoffs.com lists 35 video game studio closures in 2026 so far. Confirmed layoffs exceed 12,000 jobs across the industry this year. The tracker estimates the real total at 13,000-14,000 jobs. Layoffs hit 161 studios, and dozens of those studios closed outright. Closures reach franchise owners such as BioWare, RedLynx and Nerial.

Publishers are pruning satellite units and legacy franchise studios
Ubisoft closed three units: Halifax, Winnipeg and Belgrade.
Belgrade reportedly supported Rainbow Six Siege, a live-service flagship.
IO Interactive Istanbul, TiMi Montreal and iWOT Games Montreal also shut.
EA closed BioWare, home of Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

Pre-launch pipelines carry the highest write-off risk
Atomic Arcade closed while building the announced G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes.
MidSummer Studios shut before releasing Burbank.
Dark Outlaw Games closed with an unannounced project in development.
Each closure strands funding committed before any revenue arrived.

Closures cluster in waves through the year
June alone recorded 9 closures, the densest month in the list.
January and February each recorded 5 closures.
October added 4, including BioWare and RedLynx.
The cadence points to rolling budget cycles over a single correction.

Shipped IP offers no protection for the team behind it
Nerial (Reigns), Night School (Oxenfree) and Spiders (GreedFall) all closed.
Rec Room Inc. closed despite operating its own UGC platform.
Amazon's Mass Effect TV series continues despite the BioWare closure.
IP value is outlasting the studios that created it.

The data supports caution against crash-level conclusions
161 studios cut staff, but only 35 closed.
Most affected studios absorbed cuts and kept operating.
The tracker compares the scale to the 1983 crash, with different causes.
The counts are a snapshot, and new cases may revise them.
Dispersed teams release experienced talent into a more competitive labour pool.
What this means
For Investors & VC: Discount valuations of VR-focused content studios, now a recurring closure category this year.
For Service Vendors: Pitch IP-revival co-dev to publishers holding franchises orphaned by shuttered studios.
For Publishers & Developers: Gate pre-launch greenlights behind milestone-based funding tranches synced to parent budget cycles.