Luna Abyss Dev Team Entirely Laid Off Just One Month After Release

The entire development team behind Luna Abyss, a well-received shooter released just a month ago, has been laid off. Hollie Emery, CEO of Kwalee Labs, announced the news in a LinkedIn post, stating that the decision to make the team redundant was entirely out of their control.

This comes despite critical acclaim for Luna Abyss, which holds an 81 on Metacritic. However, the game failed to achieve commercial success, peaking at only 317 concurrent players on Steam. The nine-person team, which spent seven years developing the game since 2019, is now seeking new jobs.

IGN first previewed Luna Abyss in 2023, expressing optimism about Kwalee Labs' vision. Another preview earlier this year praised the game's difficulty and smooth gameplay. Luna Abyss remains available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC for $29.99.

The layoffs come amid a tough summer for the gaming industry. Bungie is expected to undergo significant layoffs next month as support for Destiny 2 winds down, and several Xbox studios—including Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, and Double Fine—are reportedly negotiating with Microsoft to go independent, though layoffs are likely regardless.