A rumor claims that A44 Games is expecting to layoff much of its staff following the failure of Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn.
A screenshot from Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn (2024), A44 Games
A user on ResetEra, who has since edited his comment to remove it, posted, “I have a friend of a friend who resigned from the company. He is expecting massive layoffs. Does not bode well sadly.”
The original post was made on July 21st, and was screencapped by X user Pirat_Nation and shared to X on July 30th.
>Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn company A44 Games is expecting massive layoffs
>According to someone on Resetera on July 21, employees are expecting layoffs since the game apparently bombed:
“I have a friend of a friend who resigned from the company. He is expecting massive… pic.twitter.com/GX4tFrli9Q
— Pirat_Nation 🔴 (@Pirat_Nation) July 30, 2024
As noted by Pirat_Nation, the official X account for Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn shared that it had over 500,000 players across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
The company posted, “Since launch, we’ve seen 500,000 new members of the Coalition army across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. That’s huge!”
Thank you, Sappers!
Since launch, we’ve seen 500,000 new members of the Coalition army across PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. That’s huge! ⚔️
Your support means the world! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/akMMqz9ZCk
— Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn 🪓 OUT NOW! ⚔️ (@PlayFlintlock) July 30, 2024
As for the veracity of this rumor, the layoffs might have already happened. Former World of Warcraft Team Lead Mark Kern also reported on July 21st, the same date the user on ResetEra shared his claim, that “most of the staff have been laid off. The game has no players, no weekend spike.”
He also added, “Interestingly enough SBI has been scrubbed from the credits, even though KabrutusRambo has all the receipts they were involved.”
He shared an image with the post seemingly indicating all the individuals who worked at A44 and on the game who are no longer with the company. It includes: Chanelle Keoghan, Edan Keelty, Jefferson Sage, Phil Kurzmann, Shashi Prakash Rai, Marie-Charlotte Derne, Kurt Butler, Veronika Krajcova, Isaac Betts, Joshua Hayward, Max Bainbridge, Soonho Song, Zhengxiong Gu, Ashish Nagarkoti, Alan Eir, Duy Tran, Logan Brett, Konstantine Paradis, Laura Hudson, Ashley Jeffalone, Suzee Goodman Matson, Chad Rhiness, Allen Yang, Emanuele Pescatori, Sean Firman, Daniel Bolling Walsh, Shauna Lane, Rebecca Sharp, Stefan Devitt, and Grace Burt.
Flintlock is dead.
Sweet Baby Inc. KILLED @A44games , makers of @PlayFlintlock
Most of the staff have been laid off. The game has no players, no weekend spike.
Interestingly enough SBI has been scrubbed from the credits, even though @Kabrutusrambo has all the receipts they… pic.twitter.com/alwrGOUdEh
— Grummz (@Grummz) July 21, 2024
READ: Sweet Baby Inc. Developed ‘Flintlock: The Siege Of Dawn’ Releases To Abysmal Player Numbers
Grummz also added in a follow-up, “Many more devs have been moved to the Special Thanks section. Which stands against most credit guidelines and point to high studio turnover even before the game was launched.”
Many more devs have been moved to the Special Thanks section. Which stands against most credit guidelines and point to high studio turnover even before the game was launched. pic.twitter.com/Tm9xeBbfgh
— Grummz (@Grummz) July 21, 2024
Chanelle Keoghan’s LinkedIn reveals she stopped working at A44 in May 2024.
Chanelle Keoghan on LinkedIn
Edan Keelty’s LinkedIn profile also indicates he stopped working at A44 Games in May.
Edan Keelty on Linkedin
Phil Kurzmann also noted he ended employment with A44 in May.
Phil Kurzmann on LinkedIn
Marie-Charlotte Derne’s profile says she’s still at A44 Games, but it also reveals she joined FX-Chamber in July. It’s possible she did not update her end date at A44 Games.
Marie-Charlotte Derne on LinkedIn
Clearly, it appears there were massive layoffs or at the very least a ton of individuals that all left in May.
What do you make of this rumor regarding A44 Games and Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s performance?
