Virtual Toys, one of the oldest developers in Spain, is facing multiple layoffs. 50 people, about two thirds of its workforce, will lose their jobs in the coming days according to Spanish press.
There is no official word as of yet, but Teknautas has confirmed the news via some Virtual Toys' employees. Nobody at the studio wants to talk, neither the founder nor the CEO, Fabriciano Bayo.
"It is a critical situation, we have a lot to lose," explained one anonymous employee.
Virtual Toys latest project is one of the biggest in the history of the company. Pirates: Treasure Hunters is a MOBA developed for PS4 in the co-op program, Alianza PlayStation. After disappointing sales of the console version, the game launched on PC just yesterday, July 5.
There is still some hope since more than 70,000 people joined the beta in South Korea. They were also among the first studios announcing support and currently developing for the PSVR.
But it seems as though the golden days are behind them. VT was highly successful in partnering with Ubisoft on Nintendo DS. The company was crucial when working on the Imagine series and on many simulators for kids such as Horsez, along with some licensed handheld titles for PlayStation such as Phineas and Ferb. Virtual Toys created its first game in 1984 and has released more than 70 games selling over 30 million copies.