"This company has been driven into a wall for years" - Life is Strange studio Don't Nod faces unrest while teetering on insolvency

A French video game studio, Don't Nod, renowned for titles like Life is Strange and Remember Me, faces significant challenges as it teeters on the brink of insolvency. An insider report indicates the company has entered safeguard proceedings, a last-ditch effort to stave off financial ruin. While making redundancies, Don't Nod plans to complete its ongoing, unannounced game, P14, by relying more on outsourcing rather than its reduced in-house team.

Most of the studio's artists, designers, programmers, production staff, and test personnel have been laid off, leaving a hundred employees to manage the project. Management aims to offset this loss by outsourcing work, despite the skepticism surrounding this plan. The studio management expects seasoned managers to handle the transition and assume the workload of the terminated team members.

However, the report reveals that the company is unable to provide severance packages or redundancy plans to the affected staff, offering only the legal minimum. There is no voluntary redundancy scheme in place. The studio's management has been accused of disregarding employees' well-being, leading to a series of accidents and poor working conditions.

The union representing the employees, Le Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo, plans to negotiate with the company until November 3rd. The company's recent games, including Aphelion and Life is Strange's sequel, Lost Records, have struggled to attract audiences, with mixed reviews and lower sales. This financial turmoil has been ongoing for years, with the studio facing multiple rounds of layoffs and financial difficulties.