Volition, the developers behind Agents of Mayhem and the Saints Row series of games, has laid off over 30 people as reported by Kotaku.
Agents of Mayhem is a game set in the Saints Row universe and featuring some characters from the game. Although it feels like a Saints Row game in many respects, it is nonetheless a new IP from Volition. Unfortunately, taking risks such as trying to create a new game sometimes results in middling results, and in the world of business that typically means layoffs.
Three sources speaking to Kotaku stated that the company laid off over 30 people from its staff of approximately 200 employees. Among the laid off, employees were General Manager Dan Cermak who had previously worked with Strategic Simulations Inc. and Westwood. The layoffs were corroborated in a tweet by David Klein, an Associate QA Analyst for Volition:
Sources speaking to Kotaku indicated that one of the reasons for the layoffs were the underwhelming sales of Agents of Mayhem. Although developers & publishers do not always publish sales figures, the UK sales charts for the game indicated that it debuted in fourth place. This was particularly worrisome considering that it did not have much in the way of strong opposition and that it was generally a quieter time of year for game releases.
If you're considering grabbing Agents of Mayhem to give it a spin, have a gander at our review of the game. You can get it for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for $59.99 or your regional equivalent.
Quick Take
It's a shame, I really enjoyed Agents of Mayhem. I think the game either had to be $20 cheaper or have co-op play built-in - something that Saints Row fans probably expected from Volition. Both would have even been better. It's not necessarily healthy for a developer to be a one-trick pony - goodness knows they could've made yet another Saints Row spinoff like Gat Out of Hell - but sometimes it just doesn't work out. If you don't mind playing a game like this single-player I think it's worth giving it a fair shake, and if you have your doubts you can always grab it on sale.
