Munich, Germany – November 28, 2023
PLAION, a global leader in video game development and publishing, today announced a restructuring at its Fishlabs studio in Hamburg, Germany, which is expected to impact around 50 positions. This comes as part of the group-wide restructuring program at its parent company Embracer Group, which was announced on June 13, 2023.
Despite exhaustive efforts to avoid downsizing, the lack of approval and therefore financing for the studio’s unannounced project (also referred to as “Project Black”) has made this step unavoidable. The remaining team will continue to work on the existing co-development projects in partnership with other PLAION and Embracer Group studios.
We understand the profound impact of this decision on our talented team at Fishlabs and are committed to handling this transition with the utmost respect and care. To support those affected, PLAION is committed to providing comprehensive support, including severance packages as well help with career transition services.
"We are facing a tough moment together," said Lars Janssen, VP, Worldwide Studios & Talent at PLAION. "Each individual at our Fishlabs studio has been more than just a team member; they've been a vital part of our creative journey, bringing not only their skills but also their passion and dedication to every project. We're truly thankful for the energy and heart they've invested in our collective endeavors. This painful decision is a reflection of the broader challenges in the gaming industry, not the incredible talents or efforts of our team."
PLAION remains dedicated to its mission of delivering high-quality gaming experiences and will continue to invest in its people and projects across its global network.
For inquires related to this information, please contact press@plaion.com.
PLAION runs a multi-label strategy, with fully owned publishing units, such as Deep Silver, Prime Matter, Milestone, Vertigo Games and Ravenscourt, publishing games for consoles, PC and VR platforms across all physical and digital channels.
Additionally - as a global publishing partner - PLAION has formed long-term multinational publishing collaborations with numerous game publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Capcom, Focus Multimedia, Giants Software, Koei Tecmo, Paradox, Sega, SNK, Square Enix, Techland, THQ Nordic, Tripwire, Warner Bros and many others.
With its parent company in Höfen, Austria - and the HQ in Munich, Germany - PLAION owns local publishing companies in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Australia, the United States as well as Japan and Hong Kong.
PLAION owns nine game development studios: Deep Silver Dambuster Studios (Nottingham, UK), Fishlabs (Hamburg, DE), Warhorse Studios (Prague, CZ), Milestone (Milan, IT), Voxler (Paris, FR) , DigixArt (Montpellier, FR), Flying Wild Hog (Warsaw, Kraków, Rzeszów, PL), Free Radical Design (Nottingham, UK) and Vertigo Games (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, NL). Additionally, PLAION collaborates with numerous independent development studios around the world.
Part of PLAION is also PLAION PICTURES, a leading independent film distributor in Europe with a library of more than 1.400 titles. Further business operations include Sola Media, a sales agency and production company for family entertainment, Spotfilm Networx, a multi-channel streaming network, and a sub-label dedicated to Japanese animation.
PLAION also owns the leading video game merchandise company DPI Merchandising (Denver, Roseburg, USA and Munich, DE) and a Quality Assurance Facility in Olomouc, CZ.
PLAION is an Embracer Group company.