Publisher Perfect World has announced the closure of the Seattle-based development studio for Runic Games, something made public the same day it was revealed that it hit Gigantic developer Motiga with severe layoffs.

In a statement received by Gamasutra, Perfect World says that the decision came as a result of “the company’s continued strategy to focus on online games as a service.” Runic’s latest game, the single-player action adventure game Hob, released just over a month ago. Before that release, Runic made a name for itself through the 2009 action RPG Torchlight and its followup Torchlight 2.

The company says that Runic Games will continue to exist as a part of Perfect World, but it is worth noting that the Seattle office that it shut down Runic’s sole location. 

As always, if you or someone you know has been affected by layoffs or a studio closure, you can email Gamasutra to share your story confidentially.

The full statement can be found below: 

“Following the news that Motiga has reduced the staff of its studio, Perfect World Entertainment can confirm that as the publisher of Gigantic, the game will continue to be available on our platforms. A core team of developers remains at Motiga, who will work with us to support the game and its players, including moving full steam ahead with the upcoming November update and future content. We cannot thank everyone enough for their contributions in making Gigantic the outstanding experience it is today.
 
Perfect World Entertainment recently closed the Seattle office of Runic Games as part of the company’s continued strategy to focus on online games as a service. We’re grateful to the team for all of their hard work bringing incredible experiences like Torchlight, Torchlight 2 and Hob to life. Runic Games will remain a part of Perfect World Entertainment’s portfolio of studios, and its games will continue to be available to players, as we stay committed to supporting and growing Runic Games’ beloved franchises.
 
The staff reduction at Motiga and the closure of Runic Games Seattle were unrelated. Perfect World Entertainment stands committed to delivering the best massively multiplayer online gameplay experiences to our players.”

Update: Runic Games has released its own statement through its website, confirming that today marks the last day for the studio and, it seems, for its staff as well.

Gigantic developer Motiga has been shuttered according to reports from multiple employees. 

As reported by Destructoid, the studio was apparently closed by Gigantic publisher Perfect World, which quietly acquired the company in May last year. 

Various Motiga staffers broke the news on social media, but studio CEO and co-founder Chris Chung confirmed the story with a candid statement, though he later admitted he might not have “all the facts.” 

“All of Motiga was acquired by Perfect World last year. Perfect World decided to announce the arrangement as partnership by the directions from corporate for the reason we were not privy to,” he commented.

“Yes, [the closure] was the corporate decision. It was a budgetary decision at the highest level. Perfect World as a public company has a profitability goal and they decided to cut parts of the company that were not profitable. 

“In short, Gigantic was not making enough revenue. Unfortunately, Motiga is not the only Perfect World studio being impacted by the decision.”

Although it’s not exactly clear what went on behind closed doors, it might not come as a huge surprise. Motiga has flirted with layoffs and cutbacks for the best part of two years, often making headlines for those exact reasons. 

It meant Gigantic had a rocky road to release, and had to be rescued by Perfect World after funds ran dry. While the game finally launched earlier this year, it’s now unclear what the future holds for the free-to-play MOBA.

Update: Gamasutra has received confirmation from Perfect World that significant layoffs have occurred at Motiga, reducing the staff to only a “core team of developers” to support Gigantic. Additionally, the publisher has revealed that it has closed Runic Games’ Seattle office. The full statement can be found below:

“Following the news that Motiga has reduced the staff of its studio, Perfect World Entertainment can confirm that as the publisher of Gigantic, the game will continue to be available on our platforms. A core team of developers remains at Motiga, who will work with us to support the game and its players, including moving full steam ahead with the upcoming November update and future content. We cannot thank everyone enough for their contributions in making Gigantic the outstanding experience it is today.
 
Perfect World Entertainment recently closed the Seattle office of Runic Games as part of the company’s continued strategy to focus on online games as a service. We’re grateful to the team for all of their hard work bringing incredible experiences like Torchlight, Torchlight 2 and Hob to life. Runic Games will remain a part of Perfect World Entertainment’s portfolio of studios, and its games will continue to be available to players, as we stay committed to supporting and growing Runic Games’ beloved franchises.
 
The staff reduction at Motiga and the closure of Runic Games Seattle were unrelated. Perfect World Entertainment stands committed to delivering the best massively multiplayer online gameplay experiences to our players.”

Disneyland Adventures is available now for the Xbox One family of devices and Windows 10 PC on Microsoft Store.

We recently had the opportunity to have an in-depth chat with Jorg Neumann, Head of Production, Global Publishing, Microsoft Studios to talk in greater detail about the re-imagining of this game.

What is Disneyland Adventures and what makes it different from the 2011 Xbox 360 title?

Disneyland Adventures is a remastered and re-imagined version of the 2011 Xbox 360 title that allows children, families, and Disney fans of all ages to explore Disneyland Park. In anticipation for the Xbox One X launch, we really wanted to make this franchise shine and bring the magical world of Disneyland Park to life like never before, so we gave it an upgrade to true 4K Ultra HD visuals and HDR support, and made it available to play on both console and Windows 10 PC.

Now anyone can enjoy the game on controller, mouse and keyboard, and Kinect. And additionally, through the power of Xbox Play Anywhere you can pick up where you left off on another Xbox One device or Windows 10 PC, bringing all your saves, game add-ons and achievements with you.

Tell us about how you collaborated with Disney on Disneyland Adventures.

There had never been a game specifically about Disneyland Park when this was developed, but the team had a strong plan that we felt confident in and pitched Disney on how we could achieve this. They really loved the idea and we’ve had a strong collaboration with them ever since.

Even though they loved the pitch, Disney challenged me on how much I actually knew about Disneyland Park. I responded with, “Yeah of course I love Disney, I have two daughters and we’ve watched all the movies together and I’ve been to Disneyland Park several times.” But they asked again, “how much time have you spent in the park?” I was certainly no expert and told them such, so they invited me and the whole team to the park and gave us full access to the park.

The team and I spent about five months exploring and examining the park, took about 50,000 photographs, went to all the special places like Walt’s Apartment and Club 33, and collaborated with the legendary Disney Imagineers.

Does the game have the entire park in it or just parts of it?

It’s the entire Disneyland Park. We really wanted to pay homage to the magic that is Disneyland, so we made sure Disneyland Adventures is a digital version of the entire park. The hard work the team did in collaboration with Disney resulted in a very accurate depiction of the park in digital form – so much so that Disney sometimes uses the game as a training tool to help them really know the ins and outs of the park. If you know where to find your favorite attraction or coffee shop in the park, you’ll find it in the exact same place in the game.

How would you describe the gameplay of Disneyland Adventures?

Disneyland Adventures allows children, families and Disney fans of all ages to step into Disneyland park to explore the worlds of their favorite attractions, engage in challenging adventures and interact with many beloved Disney characters.

Think about it essentially as an open-world game filled with Disney content – we have 43 Disney character encounters where you can give characters such as Donald or Snow White a hug, get their autograph and photograph, and receive a quest. We have over 100 quests that allow you to go around the park and solve problems in return for magical items. For example, Red Beard may ask you to photograph all the items on his list.

Other things we have that are a nod to the fun and magic of Disneyland park are the hidden Mickeys – which are an obsession for many people. We include many of the hidden Mickeys that are in the real park, plus a few newer ones as well.

And finally, we have the attractions in Disneyland Adventures. In the world of Disney, attractions are not just rides that you sit in and that’s it. When we were working with the Disney Imagineers on this game, the one thing that was clear is that every ride is a story and an adventure where there are Yetis, pirates, ghosts or runaway trains. So, for this game we actually take you to the world of the attraction with a unique adventure and story to tell – for example, you’re not just sitting in a vehicle flying through London in the world of Peter Pan, YOU, yourself, actually fly through London collecting coins as you make your way to Neverland, where you ultimately battle Captain Hook and his crew.

Disneyland Adventures features 18 iconic, interactive Disneyland Park attractions – you can fly through Neverland at Peter Pan’s side and take up your sword to fight Captain Hook, battle your way to the island in Pirates of the Caribbean, partner with a friend to enjoy the fascinating world of Alice in Wonderland and many more of the wonderful worlds of Disney. What I love best about this is that it’s a co-op game, so parents can play together with their kids.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

I love that we can bring the magic of Disneyland to the living rooms of families everywhere in a fun, innovative way and I’m excited to give this to gaming and Disney fans of all ages. You can purchase the game now for $29.99 USD and pick it up at any major retailer, on Xbox.com, in the Xbox Store or Microsoft Store.

Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.

Damien has over a decade of professional writing experience under his belt, as well as a repulsively hairy belly. Rumours that he turned down a role in The Hobbit to work on Nintendo Life are, to the best of our knowledge, completely and utterly unfounded.

The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Redwood City, California.

Crystal Dynamics is looking for a talented and passionate Creative Director for a new AAA action adventure title we are developing. This individual will be responsible for overseeing all decisions that affect how the game plays, looks, and sounds. We would like to find a person who has experience providing creative direction for world class titles. The focus of the Creative Director will be to ensure the highest quality for the game play, artwork, music, and audio assets that will be in the final shipped version of the game. We expect the Creative Director to lead the overall vision of the game.

Responsibilities:

• Provide overall direction in game play, art, music, and design
• Partner closely with all department leads ensuring milestones are achieved on time and within budget
• Provide inspiration to the team and ensure that the creative vision is accepted and embraced
• Help the team overcome obstacles and provide solid leadership
• A strong passion and commitment to developing world class AAA titles

Requirements:

• Experience in a Creative Director role previously for highly rated next gen games
• Leadership experience in guiding teams from all disciplines
• Solid understanding of the financial and managerial aspects of game development
• Previous background in leadership in design or art
• Strong understanding of the competitive landscape
• A passion for playing and developing gamesLeadership position in previous shipped AAA titles (3-5 preferred)

Crystal Dynamics is an EOE and M/F/D/V employer

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

Microsoft has added its name to the list of companies supporting the Khronos Group’s OpenXR standarization project.

Microsoft itself is naturally a significant addition to the group, as the company is responsible both the Windows operating system many other headsets and programs make use of and its own line of mixed reality headsets.

According to Road to VR, the tech giant now joins the likes of Google, Oculus, Unity, Valve as, and several other members of the working group that seeks to establish a multiplatform, royalty-free standard for VR and AR platforms and devices. Such a project aims to, ideally, simplify the development process by allowing developers to create apps and games that can run on any VR platform rather than require developers to tweak projects for each individual platform.

16 years ago, Dwayne Johnson was on-stage with Bill Gates to help announce the original Xbox. We’re excited to be working with Dwayne again to show there is no power greater than X.

Yesterday, three Make-A-Wish children received the gift of a lifetime when The Rock surprised the group with a private gaming event on the set of his current movie project, “Skyscraper.” With the help of Xbox, the kids were the first to receive the world’s most powerful console, a custom Xbox One X, a full week before its November 7 global release. The custom consoles feature Dwayne’s logo, a brahma bull, and a personal holiday message.

Throughout the day, Dwayne gave children the VIP treatment which included personalized director chairs, a private tour of the set, exotic car rides and challenging them in video game matchups on popular Xbox titles such as Super Lucky’s Tale, Forza Motorsport 7, Killer Instinct as well as other games featured in Xbox Game Pass.

Thanks again to Dwayne, Make-A-Wish and the crew on the “Skyscraper” set for allowing us to join in on all the fun!