French game publisher Gameloft has suddenly closed its studio in Budapest, Hungary.
Per (translated) Hungarian outlet HVG, the mobile developer behind titles such as Disney Dreamlight Valley and Marvel’s Spider-Man Unlimited shut down its studio, laying off nearly 100 employees. The Budapest office had been open since 2012, and works on free-to-play games for the mobile market.
Gameloft reportedly told HVG that the closure comes as the publisher is beginning to prioritize the console and PC markets. In turn, it will allegedly put less focus on the mobile game business it’s been a part of since it first formed in 1999.
A spokesperson for Gameloft called the Budapest closure “difficult,” and said the company was “working to find the best possible solution for the employees concerned.”
While Gameloft has published games for console and PC in the past, Disney Dreamlight Valley has been a big success on those systems. When it released in fall 2022 via Early Access, it reached 1 million players in over a week, and much of that came from the console crowd.
This closure comes two months after Gameloft promoted chief financial officer Alexandre de Rochefort to CEO. A 22-veteran at the studio, de Rochefort said he would bring in “a new era for Gameloft as a cross-platform game developer and publisher.”