Auroch Digital, the Bristol studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II, has announced it is laying off around a quarter of its staff. The news lands only a couple of weeks after Boltgun II launched to a strong reception on Steam.
In a statement shared on social media, the studio said it has "begun a redundancy consultation process affecting around a quarter of roles at the studio." It did not give an exact headcount.
A Good Run of Releases Was Not Enough
The timing is what stings. Auroch pointed to its own recent track record in the statement, noting that "over the past year our colleagues have delivered amazing games like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! to wonderful reception from our players."
That is no exaggeration. One week after Boltgun II launched, the studio celebrated the boomer shooter sequel reaching an Overwhelmingly Positive user rating on Steam. Days before that, it thanked players for a 93% rating on the platform and shipped a first patch aimed at a fatal error on certain Intel Core Ultra CPUs, performance problems in the Nurgle Nightmare chapter, and a pair of softlocks.
None of that changed the bigger picture, according to the studio. "Despite that creative success, the same market conditions that have challenged so many of our fellow developers have now also affected us," the statement reads. "Consequently, we have made the decision to restructure the studio to work through a turbulent and uncertain time in our industry."
What Happens to Warhammer Survivors and Boltgun II
For players, the most important line is that both of the studio's current Warhammer projects are continuing. "To our players, we want you to know development and post-launch support for Warhammer Survivors and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun II will continue," Auroch said.
Warhammer Survivors is the studio's take on the horde survival genre, and it has a demo available through Steam Next Fest. Auroch has been actively promoting it in recent days, running a community challenge built around The Legend of Catachan in the demo and releasing a Feature Focus video on the game's squad system, which lets players bring allies onto the battlefield to fight alongside their champion.
Boltgun II, meanwhile, is still in its early post-launch window. The studio has been fielding bug reports from players, including a Purity Seal achievement issue it said it is working to fix, so the promise of continued support matters for anyone who has already bought in.
The studio added that "our path forward will always include making games with the same passion, care, and quality you've come to expect from us. While our immediate focus is supporting our colleagues through this process, you should expect nothing less from us in the future."
A Call for Other Studios to Hire Affected Staff
Auroch also addressed its own team and the wider industry directly. To staff, it said it is "immensely proud of everything you have achieved, and are deeply sorry for the position we are now in," adding that its priority is supporting everyone through the consultation process "with as much care and respect as we can."
To other developers, the studio made a public appeal. "If you are hiring, please consider finding a place for our staff in your studio," it wrote. "They have worked on everything from indie shooters to AAA co-development, and their talent and breadth is second-to-none."
Because the cuts are going through a consultation process, the final outcome for individual employees may not be settled yet. Auroch has not said which departments are affected or whether any of its unannounced projects are part of the restructure.
Another Hit for an Industry That Keeps Shrinking
Auroch is far from alone. Studios of every size have been trimming teams for a while now, and the pattern of well-reviewed games failing to protect the people who made them has become depressingly familiar. Gamefragger has looked at how the steady stream of industry layoffs has fed a talent shortage, and the bigger publishers are not immune either, with Xbox reportedly planning more rounds of layoffs.
For Auroch, the cuts come at the end of a busy stretch. Boltgun II was one of the Warhammer titles that had a showing at Gamescom, where it debuted a new trailer ahead of its release, and Warhammer Survivors is next in line.
Have you played Boltgun II, and are you planning to try Warhammer Survivors?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.