Up to 300 employees laid off: Virtuos announces mass job cuts

Virtuos, one of the world’s largest co-development studios, is preparing for mass layoffs. According to journalist Gautier Andres (Origami), the company plans to cut up to 300 employees, which represents around 7% of its global team.

The layoffs will affect over 200 employees in China, with nearly 100 more in France and the U.S. The French branch, Virtuos Lyon, has already gone on strike, protesting not only the job cuts but also the forced implementation of generative AI in daily workflows.

Although Oblivion Remastered became one of the most successful releases of 2025, Virtuos reportedly received no sales bonuses. As an outsourcing partner for Bethesda, the studio was only paid for its contracted work. According to internal sources, this has led to growing distrust toward management and escalating internal tensions.

Virtuos has worked on numerous high-profile games, including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Horizon Forbidden West, Dark Souls Remastered (Switch), Judas, and even helped develop patch 2.3 for Cyberpunk 2077. Yet even consistent involvement in major projects hasn’t guaranteed long-term stability.

Back in March 2025, CEO Gilles Langourieux emphasized the growing importance of co-development as publishers seek to reduce development costs. However, the current situation suggests that even this model can’t fully shield studios from financial challenges.

As of now, Virtuos has not issued an official statement regarding the layoffs.