Wayfinder studio Airship Syndicate says layoffs are necessary to ensure it 'can continue to operate and deliver great experiences'

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The studio confirmed that 12 developers have been let go, while the company president and CEO have taken pay cuts.

Wayfinder screen
(Image credit: Airship Syndicate)

Wayfinder developer Airship Syndicate has confirmed the layoffs of 12 employees, originally reported by Nicole Carpenter of Polygon, as part of an effort to keep the studio open and operating. In an unusual twist, Airship Syndicate said company president Ryan Stefanelli and CEO Joe Madureira are also taking pay cuts.

"I can confirm that today we had to part ways with 12 of our coworkers," an Airship Syndicate rep said in a statement provided to PC Gamer. "This decision was made to ensure that Airship Syndicate can continue to operate and deliver great experiences. In addition to reducing staff, Ryan Stefanelli, President, and Joe Madureira, CEO, will be reducing their pay while we work to secure our future plans."

The rep added that there are currently 80 people "working full-time on Wayfinder."

Wayfinder looked very promising when we checked out an early beta in 2023, but the launch several months later did not go well, primarily due to server troubles that caused extended wait times for people who jumped into the early access launch. The result is a "mixed" user rating on Steam, where just 47% of user reviews are currently positive. Less than three months after Wayfinder launched, publisher Digital Extremes pulled the plug on its publishing division and handed "full control" of the game back to Airship Syndicate.

Despite the cuts, the Airship Syndicate rep said that "this is not the end for Wayfinder," and that more information about the game's future will be revealed soon.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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.