It’s been barely a month since the reboot of horror classic Alone in the Dark arrived, but it looks like developers Pieces Interactive are now making a number of layoffs in the wake of its release.
The reboot of the nineties survival-horror series had originally been due to launch last year, but was pushed back multiple times – first to avoid battling with the likes of Alan Wake 2, then to avoid crunching its developers, according to publishers THQ Nordic – before finally settling on a release date at the end of March.
Pitched as a modern reimagining of the first Alone in the Dark game from 1992, the remake followed Stranger Things’ David Harbour and Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer as Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood as they search for Emily’s missing uncle Jeremy in the haunted Derceto Manor.
Behind the rejigged narrative was SOMA and Amnesia writer Mikael Hedberg, joined by other notable names including monster designer Guy Davis, previously character designer for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Meanwhile, the gameplay was modernised by moving to an over-the-shoulder perspective from the static camera angles of the original.
“Returning to its interwar period roots, Alone in the Dark successfully reworks and expands the original game’s scenario and characters, but its exploration, puzzle solving and combat largely stick to now familiar survival horror routines,” Jon wrote in our review, echoing what appears to be a largely mixed critical reception across the board.
Now, just over a month on from its release, it appears that Pieces Interactive have laid off a number of staff. Former QA analyst Helena Hansen announced on X-er earlier this week that she was among those reportedly affected, adding: “My heart is breaking for myself and my coworkers right now.” Other employees are yet to confirm whether they were affected.
Pieces and THQ have not yet confirmed the number of reported layoffs. Despite Pieces being owned by layoff-happy megacorp Embracer, CEO Lars Wingefors announced at the end of March that its months-long job-cutting bloodbath as the result of restructuring started last summer had finally come to an end.