It’s been a sad few years for the video game industry. If it isn’t canceled games or industry personnel being laid off, studios are closing down. Unfortunately, the latest studio on the chopping block both closed down and canceled its first project. Humanoid Origin, run by Casey Hudson, the Director of the Mass Effect trilogy, has officially notified its staff as of this morning that the studio is no more.
Besides the Mass Effect trilogy, Hudson is known for titles like Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Anthem. After releasing the third Mass Effect title, he left Bioware to pursue other projects, eventually landing at Microsoft Studios as creative director. Eventually, he found his way back to Bioware to work on Anthem. However, shortly after the latter’s release in 2020, he departed again. It wasn’t until a year later that he revealed his new studio, Humanoid Studios. Alongside this announcement also came the reveal that their first game was being worked on. Three years later, we will never see what the studio had planned.
The announcement was made via LinkedIn, where 71 members were associated with the studio before closing. Looking at their countries of origin, many remote employees have now been left without jobs. However, according to the announcement, the team had made significant progress and had fostered a work culture that they are proud of.
“In our time together, the team achieved incredible progress, and demonstrated that it’s possible to do amazing work while fostering a culture of fun and creativity. We thank them for their talent, courage, and friendship.”
Hopefully, those affected by the studio’s closure can land on their feet soon. If any of you have been affected by gaming layoffs this year, I strongly urge you to check out Amir Satvat’s Games Community for additional job resources and community support.
