Virtuos, The Studio Behind Oblivion Remastered, Is Laying Off Around 270 Employees

Virtuos, nan workplace that developed The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, is laying disconnected 7 percent of its staff, aliases astir 270 employees. Gauthier Andres, a newsman and co-founder astatine Origami, was first to study nan news, which nan workplace later confirmed. Virtuos has provided support connected a number of ample crippled projects — including a caller spot for Cyberpunk 2077 — and employs much than 4,200 group crossed nan US, Europe and Asia.

The institution said nan layoffs are chiefly affecting "teams facing little occupancy and slower request owed to structural shifts successful nan industry." It's firing astir 200 group successful Asia and astir 70 successful Europe. "Fewer than 10" of those are successful France, wherever nan halfway squad moving connected Oblivion Remastered is based. Virtuos says it's offering affected workers layoff packages, profession modulation assistance and, "where possible," occupation opportunities crossed its network.

"Over nan past 12 months, Virtuos has deepened its committedness to premium co-development done cardinal acquisitions of Beyond-FX, Pipeworks, and Umanaïa successful North America, arsenic good arsenic Third Kind Games and Abstraction successful Europe," Virtuos said successful a statement. "These studios heighten our strengths successful VFX, design, Unreal Engine programming and imaginative development. This ongoing finance reflects our intent to turn successful areas wherever our expertise and standard create lasting value, while selectively exiting work segments wherever request is weakening. We request to amended lucifer nan locations of our teams pinch those of our clients to support nan progressively iterative quality of imaginative co-development. This alignment is why nan existent reorganization has a greater effect connected our teams successful Asia."

Besides reviving Bethesda classics, Virtuos has contributed activity to nan upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and respective ongoing unrecorded work games, for illustration Dune: Awakening and Sea of Thieves. Nothing astir nan company's output aliases nan captious reception of its games would propose it needs to behaviour layoffs, but that reflects nan existent precarious authorities of nan games industry. Even having theoretically dependable activity doing post-release support and crippled remasters isn't enough.

Virtuos' layoffs follows nan sweeping cuts Microsoft made to its Xbox division successful early July. Microsoft reportedly cancelled games, for illustration Rare's long-in-development Everwild, and shutdown full studios, for illustration The Initiative. Romero Games, which had an unannounced backing deal pinch Microsoft, was besides forced to cancel its existent project, though it hopes to find a caller publishing partner.

Update July 17, 2025, 9:57AM ET: Added confirmation of nan layoffs from Virtuos.