Summary
Despite parent company Ziff Davis’ claims to the contrary, laid off staff ofHumble Gamesinsist that the company has effectively been shut down.Humble Gamesis the indie publishing arm of Humble Bundle, which most gamers will know for the discounted games it sells to benefit charity. The company began offering publishing services to indie developers in 2017 and was officially branded Humble Games in 2020.
Since its start, Humble Games has helped bring a number of popular indie titles to gamers, including the early access version ofSlay the Spire,2021’s cozy puzzle gameUnpacking,Chinatown Detective Agency,and the award-winningSignalis.However, on July 23, posts on social media revealed that the entire 36-person team at Humble Games had been laid off. Parent company Ziff Davis released a statement that the layoffs were merely steps in a restructuring and did not mean the studio was being shut down.
Laid-off staff of Humble Games,speaking to Aftermath, have reiterated that the company has indeed been shut down, no matter how it’s phrased. “No one from HG survived the layoffs, nor will they have anything to do with game launches moving forward,” stated one former employee. In their place, The Powell Group, a third-party company, has been brought in to complete their tasks. Social media posts from other staff echo this sentiment. Chris Radley, who left Humble Games in 2022,wrote about the layoffs on LinkedIn: “Do not believe the tailored message written by the parent company… who are trying to mitigate pushback.”
Humble Games Parent Company Says It’s Just Restructuring
During the layoff meeting with staff, which somebody recorded, Ziff Davis President of Tech & Shopping Steve Horowitz explained that the restructuring at Humble Games was due to rising costs and release delays. Attempts to sell the company have been unsuccessful. To remain cost effective, Ziff Davis is turning to a third-party to managepast and future Humble Games releasesand provide developer support.
However, given that the entire staff has been laid off and the company’s projects are now being handled by The Powell Group, only the name Humble Games remains. Former employees deny the claim that this is only a restructuring, with some calling the PR speak an attempt to save face and gaslight. Others have called into question the parent company’s understanding ofvideo game publishing, and the reasonable expectations and timelines that go with it, in general.
Ziff Davis is a well-established company that made its name publishing print magazines likePopular Aviation, Amazing Stories,andElectronics World.Eventually, it branched into television for a few years and, relatively more recently, began acquiring hobbyist websites. It now owns a gamut of properties, including numerousvideo game focused sites like Rock Paper Shotgun, IGN, Eurogamer, and HowLongToBeat.com.
Humble Choice
Humble Choice is a gaming subscription service that grants access to the Humble Bundle collection, a monthly mix of 8 video games for you to own forever, and savings for their Humble Bundle store.Only $11.99 per month. Skip or cancel anytime.
