Layoffs Again? First Wooga, now Playtika
Playtika lays off staff following Wooga’s recent job cuts.
Up to 160 jobs cut on Best Fiends and Redecor teams.
Shortly after Wooga’s 50 layoffs, Playtika has reportedly let go of a number of employees, mainly from its Best Fiends and Redecor teams, according to PocketGamer.biz.
Multiple current and former team members took to social media to share news of the layoffs. PocketGamer.biz identified around 20 affected individuals now seeking new opportunities via LinkedIn.
The roles impacted span various departments, including QA, engineering, team leadership, talent acquisition, art, and development. Some of those affected had only recently joined the company this year.
The total number of layoffs has not been confirmed, and Playtika has declined to comment.
Data?
Player spending in Best Fiends has been steadily declining for several years. Meanwhile, Redecor’s revenue has also dropped, leveling out over the past 10 months at its lowest point since launch.
How about Playtika, overall?
Post-acquisition losses
Playtika’s studio Wooga recently laid off around 50 employees after cancelling its in-development solitaire game, Claire’s Chronicles.
This follows the 2022 shutdown of Best Fiends developer Seriously, which Playtika had acquired in 2019. Operations were relocated from Helsinki to Playtika’s offices in Israel and Poland. At the time of acquisition, Best Fiends had generated $175 million in gross sales.
In 2021, Playtika also acquired Finnish studio Reworks, the developer behind Redecor, in a deal valued at up to $600 million—$400 million paid upfront and the remaining $200 million tied to performance milestones.
