Disruptive Games, Known To Support Tony Hawk and Diablo, Gets Hit With Layoffs

The independent studio that has helped on a few big names is laying off staff.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 2 Skater
Image: Activision

Diablo and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater support studio Disruptive Games has experienced a round of staff layoffs. This has caused the job loss of several employees in different roles. The exact number of impacted individuals remains unconfirmed. Still, former staff members have indicated that producers, artists, audio designers, and writers are affected.

Disruptive Games’ Director of Game Design, Sean Stahl, has confirmed the news on LinkedIn. He expressed sadness at losing “many amazing, talented game developers.” He encouraged his network to reach out for referrals, highlighting the skills and dedication of those laid off.

Former employees such as Senior Environment Artist Guillaume Hecht and Senior Technical Producer Caydence Funk have confirmed the layoffs on social media. They are now looking for new positions in the game development industry. The posts indicate that approximately 15 individuals may have been affected, although the number could be higher.

Disruptive Games, a California-based studio recognized for its contributions to well-known franchises such as Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Diablo, has surprised many with its recent developments. The studio is engaged in a confidential project in collaboration with Amazon Games. It has also been actively seeking to expand its team, as evidenced by job postings on LinkedIn and its website’s General Application page (thanks, Gamedeveloper).

The reasons for the job cuts are still uncertain. Disruptive Games has not provided an official statement, but this incident fits into a larger pattern across the game industry. Throughout 2024, layoffs have persisted from the previous year, affecting numerous workers in prominent companies. These workforce reductions and organizational changes are commonly linked to profit-oriented choices and investor expectations.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

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