Avalanche Studios Group has announced changes to staffing and location, which will impact its Liverpool studio. The company’s studios in Malmö and Stockholm will also be affected, but not as severely as the Liverpool studio.
“In light of current challenges to our business and the industry, we have thoroughly reviewed how to best ensure Avalanche Studios Group’s long-term success,” read the message published on the company’s website.
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“This review has led us to the difficult conclusion that we must make changes to our staffing and location. As a result, we are proposing to close our Liverpool studio, and to initiate a collective consultation process, as required by UK law. This will impact all Avalanchers in Liverpool. The changes will also impact our other studio locations in Malmo and Stockholm, where we will reduce our workforce and restructure the teams to address our games’ needs.”
The decision is widely believed to be a result of the cancellation of Contraband. Founded in 2003, the studio is best known for creating the Just Cause series, Rage 2, theHunter: Call of the Wild, and Generation Zero.
According to the message, the company’s immediate focus is to offer full support to everyone impacted by the decision. Regardless of the changes, Avalanche “remain deeply committed to providing amazing games” to its passionate communities.
Two days ago, Jimmy Tisell posted on LinkedIn that, “After 2 years at Avalanche Studios Group as Community Lead it was time for me to move on to a new adventure! Thank you everyone in the marketing team for making this time fly by!”
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The post suggested some sort of change in the company, but today’s message has confirmed the extent. Some of those impacted by the decision have started posting about it, including lead gameplay programmer Kris Hole.
Message to Avalanche Studios Group by the founder
Christofer Sundberg co-founded Avalanche with Linus Blomberg and served as the Creative Director until 2011. Sundberg and Nils Gulliksson created the original concept for Just Cause, the studio’s first game. The game shipped millions of copies worldwide and won several awards. Sundberg founded Liquid Swords in 2020 and serves as the CCO.
Following the news of the “restructuring” at Avalanche, Sundberg has sent an open message to his former studio, which was acquired by Nordisk Film in 2018. In the message, Sundberg urged the studio to break molds, rather than trying to fit into them.
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“Avalanche was never meant to be safe (it certainly wasn’t when I started the whole thing from my kitchen table),” Sundberg wrote on LinkedIn. “We built it to take risks, to piss people off, to make games that others said were impossible. That’s why the world noticed us in the first place. Fear wasn’t in our playbook.”
“Reading today’s update, I can’t help but throw this challenge to the team: find that fire again! Don’t settle for polishing the edges of what already exists. Don’t water down your ideas until they’re harmless. Creativity is supposed to be dangerous, uncomfortable, exciting.
“The Avalanche DNA is about breaking molds, not fitting into them, regardless of what’s changed since I left. The industry is already full of “good enough.” Avalanche was built to be the opposite. Prove it still can be. Flip the finger to all those to doubt you, and prove to everyone Avalanche is still Avalanche. Stay sharp. Stay bold. Stay Avalanche.”
What do you think about the former founder’s message to the studio? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
