Three Rings Design shuttered in the shake up
Sega is laying off employees at its western mobile division Sega Networks and Three Rings Design, a development studio focused on developing online games.
Speaking with VentureBeat, Sega asserted the “reduction in workforce” was a response to “challenging and hyper-competitive mobile market conditions.”
“As a result, we said goodbye to our talented friends and colleagues at Three Rings Design Inc. alongside a small number of team members on the publishing side of Sega’s mobile division.”
Three Rings Design was founded in 2001 and is responsible for a variety of mobile and browser-based games, including Puzzle Pirates, Bang!Howdy, and Corpse Craft. The studio was acquired by Sega in 2011, when it released Spiral Knights. Its final project was a Doctor Who tie-in game.
Sega reportedly will reinvest its resources into strong IP (like the Sonic franchise), localizing Japanese mobile games for western audiences, and “mass market view-per-play games” The company views those as brighter opportunities than continuing to make generic-sounding, low-budget original works in a highly-competitive mobile marketplace.
No precise numbers were given regarding how many Sega employees lost their jobs.
Sega confirms layoffs in Western mobile division to focus on its famous characters [VentureBeat]
Published: Mar 5, 2016 12:00 pm