Crypt of the Necrodancer studio confirms layoffs, as many as half its employees may be gone

Rift of the Necrodancer trailer still — (Image credit: Brace Yourself Games)

Crypt of the Necrodancer studio Brace Yourself Games has confirmed that it has laid off a portion of its employees, and has "shelved" some unannounced projects as a result.

The layoffs were initially reported by Game Developer, which noted a tweet from former senior producer Crystal Savin, who said she was let go after being at the company for just four months. According to Savin, half of the company's workforce was impacted; the Brace Yourself website currently lists 41 employees while the company's LinkedIn page lists 43.

"Yesterday, senior management at Brace Yourself Games made the incredibly difficult decision to lay off a portion of the company’s staff," Brace Yourself Games said in a statement sent to PC Gamer. "This decision was not made lightly, as we deeply value our talented and dedicated employees.

"As part of our commitment to our employees, we are providing severance packages and support services to assist those impacted by this decision. We are also working to address the impact on our remaining team members and to ensure that we continue to meet the needs of our players."

The studio said that despite the layoffs, development of the Crypt of the NecroDancer: Synchrony DLC and the new Rift of the Necrodancer game, both of which are currently in early access on Steam, will continue. Work on Phantom Brigade, which launched in February, and one unannounced game will continue, and that "full support will also continue to be provided for titles being published by Brace Yourself Publishing."

Brace Yourself wouldn't confirm how many employees were laid off, but studio founder Ryan Clark and director of communications Madeleine Gray both retweeted Savin's statement of a "50% cut in workforce." UI designer and programmer Ben Humphries, who announced his own departure from Brace Yourself earlier this week, tweeted in response to the Game Developer report, "It's true."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.