Company Chief: This studio isn’t shutting down!
[dropcap size=small]E[/dropcap]arlier this week, Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell cancelled Scribblenauts: Fighting Words, followed by canning 45 employees. CEO Jeremiah Slaczka gave the following statement in an interview with Polygon:
“WB cancelled [Scribblenauts: Fighting Words] today so we had to lay off the staff. It happened so quick we’re not sure what the plans are going forward yet.” Slaczka added that a statement would be released in the coming hours.
Tim Borelli, lead animator, tweeted that the studio is now closed.
RIP 5TH Cell. If anyone is looking for kickass artists, programmers, designers, QA, IT, and more, let me know. pic.twitter.com/xwMZVF76Wb
— TimBorrelliTimBorrelli BackToSeattle TimBorrelli (@Anim8der) March 21, 2016
When 5th Cell was found in 2003, it’s focus was primarily on mobile games. Their most successful game so far was 2009’s action-puzzle game Scribblenauts on the Nintendo DS. That led to multiple sequels on the DS and mobile devices, including iOS.
5th Cell gave an official statement following the layoffs:
Unfortunately, due to a project cancellation, we have had to let go of 45 of our very talented staff members today.
Layoffs aren’t something we take lightly and we’d like to thank all our employees for all the hard work and dedication over the years.
5TH Cell as a company is not closing down, but our focus right now is 100% on helping our staff make the transition to other external opportunities. If we haven’t already reached out, any interested employer can reach us at jobs@5thcell.com.
