Layoffs happened at Midnight Society, the studio behind the vertical extraction shooter Deadrop. The layoff occurred last Friday, September 6, 2024. According to reports, the studio’s headcount dropped by around 50% after the layoff.
Midnight Society’s partnership with Dr Disrespect helped to push its popularity with many anticipating the release of their debut game called Deadrop, previously called “Project Moon”. However, after the June saga between Dr Disrespect and ex-Twitch employees, Midnight Society announced they had cut ties with the streamer.
“Unfortunately, and as most of you know, we have faced multiple unexpected challenges in recent months,” disclosed Rob ‘Fourzerotwo’ Bowling, one of the studio’s co-founders through their Discord channel.
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“To adapt to these changes, and secure the future of Midnight Society, DEADROP, and our commitment to providing innovative gaming experiences, we’ve made the tough decision to streamline our operations, which includes a significant workforce reduction.
“These measures, while difficult, are designed to strengthen our foundation and renew focus on our core mission. Despite these challenges, we remain dedicated to launching DEADROP in 2025.”
Bowling promised to share the studio’s “revised plans and milestones in the near future”. They thanked those impacted by the layoff for their contributions and wished them well. However, there was no mention of how or if the studio will support those impacted in any way to make the transition easier.
How Midnight Society’s layoff linked to Dr Disrespect’s saga
Dr Disrespect used his influence to pull players into Deadrop. At that time, there was doubt about the legitimacy of the game because it leaned towards NFTs. Following the June 2024 allegation against Dr Disrespect, the studio cut ties with him and he arguably left Deadrop and Midnight Society with his fans.
Many people are now blaming the studio management for hastily jumping to conclusions without having the facts. When the layoff message from Bowling was shared on X, @TheShawn4Real commented, “Hopefully the entire company shuts down full jumping to conclusions on doc”.
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Another user @Kreeped wrote, “Base decisions off of facts. Not hearsay. Until you have facts, you don’t open your mouth,” arguably referring to the studio’s reaction to Dr Disrespect June incident.
Several other comments blamed the management of the company for the layoff. Some faulted the way Dr Disrespect was dumped by the studio. It is unclear what the reception of Deadrop will be when it launches, eventually. Many believe the game will fail since the majority of its followers did so because of Dr Disrespect.
Reactions from employees impacted by Midnight Society’s layoff
Several former employees of the studio have left messages on social media talking about how they have been impacted by the layoff at Midnight Society—and for some, it was their first career layoff experience.
“After 3.5 years of being heads down on Deadrop, today I was let go from Midnight Society due to a recent reduction in workforce,” wrote concept artist Eric Hallquist on LinkedIn. “I was brought on before the studio formed to produce visually striking concept art to help sell the idea for the game.”
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Hallquist called the change “unexpected”. Gameplay engineer Miki Ryan also posted about how she was unfortunately dropped from Midnight Society last weekend, just as senior hard surface generalist Joshua G. It appeared everyone impacted by the layoff is taking it in good fate.
“Well, there is always a first for everything,” wrote QA professional Adrian Helling on LinkedIn. “Under unfortunate circumstances, I got the news today that I have been let go from Midnight Society.”
Senior environment artist Tyler Moore also confirmed his departure from the studio. “I unfortunately was one of the many of artists affected by the layoffs at Midnight Society,” Moore wrote. “It was a pleasure working with the talented team at Midnight Society and I wish them all the best and hopefully one day work together again.”
Do you think the Dr Disrespect controversy will affect Deadrop’s reception? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
