MMO studio Trion Worlds has laid off staff following an acquisition by online gaming portal Gamigo, reports Gamasutra. The number of employees impacted by the cuts weren't revealed, but a studio source told Gamasutra that "the vast majority" were let go, and that only about 25 out of more than 200 employees remain with the company.
"We can confirm that there has been a transaction involving Trion Worlds and its games," Trion stated in a message posted in the Rift forums. "While many of the names and faces you’ve come to know in our studios will remain on through this transition, others will not be making the journey. To those who are leaving us, we are forever grateful for your incredible work and contributions over the years."
"We’d like to assure our communities that the games will continue on in capable hands moving forward, as everyone involved is aiming to make this transition as smooth as possible for you. We will have more information to reveal as soon as we possibly can."
Prior to the release of the official statement above, Trion's director of community relations, Linda Carlson, said on Discord (via the MMORPG subreddit) that she was among the employees let go. That message was also where word of Gamigo's involvement came from.
"I am sorry to say that Trion has been sold, and that a great many of us are packing to leave today. Thank you for everything you have done for us, as Creators and as friends; I will miss you terribly. Trion has new owners, and I trust that they will treat you well, as you all deserve," she wrote.
"I will soon lose access to Trion email and channels, and I regret that I do not know who all will be left here, but I hope that the Gamigo team will look after you well in future."
Trion recently "reimagined" its 2013 MMO Defiance as Defiance 2050, which unfortunately "fixes little of what sucked about the original." User reviews on Steam are even more unkind, and its peak concurrent player count on Steam hasn't broken triple digits since it went live in July. I've reached out to Trion for more information and will update if I receive a reply.