The American publisher of indie games Humble Games (Signalis, Unpacking, Ghost Song and others) announced a forced restructuring of the business, but fired employees paint a completely different picture.
Image source: Steam (Retro)
According to the official statement, the restructuring was the result of difficult economic conditions and is aimed at ensuring the stable operation of the company in the future. The initiative affected some of the Humble Games staff.
In a comment to the press, a representative of Humble Games assured that the publisher is not closing, and games that have already been released and are preparing for release will not suffer from the situation and will continue to receive the company’s support.
Since launching in 2017, Humble Games has released approximately 50 games (Image source: Humble Games)
The layoffs at Humble Games were first reported by affected employees. According to former business development manager Nicola Kwan, the layoffs affected all 36 employees and the company is closing as a result.
Former creative director Chris Radley, who left Humble Games at the end of 2022, reported that the publisher had no employees left and all operations had been transferred to a third-party consulting company.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, the latest release from Humble Games, was released on July 17 (image source: Humble Games)
Speaking to GamesBeat and Aftermath, former employees said that Ziff Davis—Humble Games’ parent company—is “trying to spread the idea of a restructuring to save its image, but it’s a lie.”
«No one at [Humble Games] was saved from layoffs, and [the company] will have nothing to do with the release of games in the future,” concluded one of the former employees of the publishing house.