Age of Empires IV developer Relic announces new layoffs after becoming an independent studio

Last week, Sega made an announcement about significant layoffs and also disclosed the sale of one of its game studios, Relic Entertainment. Today, the Vancouver-based studio has announced its own round of layoffs, affecting 41 members of its team.

The announcement was initially made known today through a LinkedIn post by Robyn Smale, an external development producer at Relic. The company later verified the news in a separate LinkedIn message (via VentureBeat), following last week’s announcement of their departure from Sega. In their message, Relic stated:

Letting people go was not an easy decision, and was made solely with the goal of providing Relic the best possible chance to survive in an increasingly volatile industry. It does not in any way reflect the expertise, passion, or character of any of the impacted employees.

122 team members at Relic were affected by a larger layoff in May 2023 while still under ownership of Sega. These employees will receive severance packages and extended benefits.

Relic’s most recent project, Age of Empires IV, was one of their final two major undertakings. The real-time strategy game, part of Microsoft’s long-standing series, was released for PC in October 2021 and later for Xbox in 2022. In late 2023, Relic and Microsoft collaborated on a significant expansion pack for the game, titled The Sultans Ascend.

The studio’s most recent major release was Company of Heroes 3, an RTS game set during WWII and developed by Relic. It was first launched for PC in February 2023, followed by releases for Xbox Series S and X and PlayStation 5 in May 2023.

In its recent announcement regarding its return to an independent studio, Relic mentioned that it had secured funding from an external investor. The identity of the investor has not been disclosed at this time.

Relic has announced that it will provide ongoing support for its existing games and intends to launch a complimentary update for Company of Heroes 3 by the end of this month. Currently, there is no information available regarding the studio’s future plans for its next major game launch.