{"rewrite":{"id":"r_15cc315d6efca2ce4c97c12a","clusterId":"c_0def31ea31773289b899bcec","slug":"layoffs-begin-at-ninja-theory-as-closure-talks-continue","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Layoffs Begin at Ninja Theory as Closure Talks Continue","summary":"Staff at Ninja Theory have begun reporting job losses and redundancy on LinkedIn, according to posts reviewed by VGC. Those affected include technical sound designer Alessio Mellina, gameplay programmer Katrin Mair, performance capture technical staff member Xoe Subari, and technical director Loong-Wei Ding, with roles spanning sound design, senior technical art, character art, and principal sound design. Microsoft and Ninja Theory have made no official announcement, and the total number affected is not clear.","whyItMatters":"Xbox's September 22 announcement that two agreements for Ninja Theory fell through turned a studio closure proposal into a consultation process, and departures are now arriving before any decision is made or the future of the 2027 title Senua is addressed.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eMicrosoft and Ninja Theory have said nothing about the departures reported on LinkedIn, and the total number of staff affected is not clear. The roles named so far run from sound design and technical direction to character art, which suggests the cuts are not confined to one team. The studio\u0026#39;s position had already been uncertain: on September 22, Xbox announced an additional reduction of 268 staff and a reorganization of its subsidiary studios, and said two agreements concerning Ninja Theory had fallen through. Xbox has begun consultations on a proposal to close the studio while exploring other options.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Ninja Theory's departures are surfacing on staff LinkedIn, not through Microsoft. Without an official headcount, the affected roles are the only concrete picture of the scale.","twitterPost":"No Microsoft statement, no headcount. Ninja Theory's cuts are visible only through the LinkedIn posts of the staff leaving.","threadsPost":"Ninja Theory's losses are being counted one LinkedIn post at a time. Alessio Mellina, Katrin Mair, Xoe Subari and Loong-Wei Ding are named; Microsoft and the studio have said nothing, so the affected roles are the only concrete measure of scope.","newsletterBlurb":"Staff at Ninja Theory have started reporting job losses and redundancies on LinkedIn, in roles running from sound design to technical direction. Microsoft and the studio have made no announcement, and the number affected is not clear. On September 22, Xbox announced 268 additional cuts and said two agreements for Ninja Theory had fallen through, opening consultations on a proposal to close it. Nothing has been said about the effect on Senua, announced in June 2026 for a 2027 release.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/06/173230.html\",\"title\":\"Layoffs Begin at Ninja Theory, Known for 'DmC' and 'Hellblade' - Multiple Staff Report Departures and Redundancy as Studio Closure Talks Continue\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4670,"outputTokens":639,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791283028,"createdAt":"2026-10-06T10:34:12.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-06T10:36:06.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T10:36:06.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0def31ea31773289b899bcec","canonicalTitle":"『DmC』『Hellblade』Ninja Theoryでレイオフ開始―スタジオ閉鎖案の協議続くなか複数スタッフが退職・余剰人員化を報告","representativeArticleId":"a_c74d600404aa2de5826b91bc","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"DmC: Devil May Cry\",\"Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice\"],\"studios\":[\"Ninja Theory\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-06T09:09:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-06T09:09:03.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-06T10:36:07.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/06/173230.html","title":"『DmC』『Hellblade』Ninja Theoryでレイオフ開始―スタジオ閉鎖案の協議続くなか複数スタッフが退職・余剰人員化を報告"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["DmC: Devil May Cry","Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice"],"studios":["Ninja Theory"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}