2K has confirmed a number of workers at Civilization developer Firaxis Games have been made redundant.
“We can confirm there was a staff reduction today at Firaxis Games, as the studio restructures and optimizes its development process for adaptability, collaboration, and creativity,” said a 2K spokesperson in an email sent to Game Developer.
The company refused to clarify how many people were laid off, but sources close to the situation told Game Developer that dozens of people have been impacted.
Multiple Firaxis developers have shared posts on Linkedin referring to layoffs, including writer Emma Kidwell, senior quality assurance tester Logan Blackwood, and lead character artist Matthew Davis.
“I was affected by the layoffs at Firaxis, and am open to full time writing work at your studio,” said Kidwell. “I’m an incredibly adaptable writer who wrote on Civilization VII and Marvel’s Midnight Suns during my (nearly) 5 years at the studio, and I encourage you to keep an eye out for my former colleagues who were also laid off.”
2K continues to cut jobs after parent company Take-Two projects annual growth
The layoffs arrive after 2K owner Take-Two projected annual growth during the current fiscal year—despite delaying Grand Theft Auto VI until May 2026.
As noted in the company’s fiscal report for the year ended March 31, 2025, the conglomerate said its fiscal 2026 outlook reflects “continuing positive momentum” and forecasted net bookings ranging from $5.9 billion to $6 billion. That would represent a 5 percent upswing on Fiscal 2025 at the midpoint.
The company expects to rake in even more cash in Fiscal 2027 when Grand Theft Auto VI finally debuts. “We expect to achieve record levels of Net bookings that will establish a new baseline for our business and set us on a path of enhanced profitability,” it said in an investor presentation published in May.
Take-Two has seemingly made a number of layoffs since releasing those results. In July, developers at 2K-owned mobile studio Cat Daddy Games announced their departures on LinkedIn, which apparently wasn’t the first round of layoffs at the studio in 2025—with former staffers discussing a “corporate restructuring” at the company back in May.
In late August, 2K confirmed Bioshock 4 developer Cloud Chamber was downsizing. The news came just weeks after a Bloomberg report stated the project had failed a publisher review, resulting in leadership changes and a narrative overhaul. At the time, Bloomberg stated that employees were concerned that layoffs might follow.
