Swedish publisher and developer Thunderful has announced yet another restructuring, only this time they’re laying off a number of internal staff.

Their new “strategic restructuring program” will see a greater focus on third-party publishing, news that unfortunately comes alongside the shift away from internal development, internal games being “discontinued” (Editor’s note: canceled), and of course – staff layoffs.

Thunderful has said their new focus on publishing over internal development will reduce their costs and “allow for greater flexibility, enabling faster, diverse game releases.” This also means a “large portion” of their internal development team are being cut, as 80-100 staff are being laid off.

“It is regrettable to announce a second restructuring of Thunderful in less than a year, but we unfortunately see no other alternatives in order to ensure the Group’s long-term sustainability and resilience,” said Martin Walfisz, CEO of Thunderful Group.

He added, “The strategic move towards publishing games from external partners allows us to reduce fixed costs, increase flexibility, and better control our cash flow. We have many talented and dedicated employees, and it is with great regret that we are forced to part ways.” With the gaming industry facing challenges like layoffs at studios such as SteamWorld dev Thunderful, staying secure online has become increasingly important, especially for gamers exploring platforms like Steam. Using a reliable VPN can help protect your data and enhance your gaming experience by reducing risks like DDoS attacks and maintaining privacy.

Layoffs have sadly become very common in the games industry – affecting both developers of games like Visions of Mana, Kerbal Space Program 2, and even distributors or publishers like Humble Bundle and Annapurna Interactive.