'Agents Of Mayhem' Developer Volition Hit By Lay-offs

"Agents of Mayhem" developer Volition has reportedly been hit with layoffs. The Illinois-based developer has laid off over 30 people including the studio's general manager, Dan Cermak.

Deep Silver acquired the studio back in 2013 following the dissolution of THQ. The studio has released a number of critically-acclaimed series over the course of its existence including the "Red Faction" series, the "Summoner" series, "The Punisher", and the "Saints Row" series.

According to Kotaku, the studio's latest game release failed to make a big impact critically. The studio's parent company Deep Silver was reportedly unhappy with the game's sales which may have contributed to the decision to lay off employees.

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While it's not uncommon for a studio to decrease its workforce substantially following the completion of a big project, laying off a GM is definitely going to get some attention. Deep Silver has yet to issue a comment on the circumstances that lead to the recent round of layoffs.

Despite being set in the same game universe as "Saints Row," "Agents of Mayhem" was marketed not as a new entry to the franchise but rather as a brand new product. While it's hard to say if being marketed as part of the open-world series might have helped boost the game's sales numbers, the game's underwhelming critical success was caused by issues that go beyond thematic lines.

The game received mixed reviews from video game journalists such as Gamespot critic Brett Todd who awarded it a disappointing 4/10. Todd cited the lack of any substance beyond the foul-mouthed and bombastic attitude that pushed the game into the grating and obnoxious territory. Add to that the poor mission design and bugs and the game's poor performance is definitely a given.

It is still unclear what Volition and Deep Silver has in store following the recent downsizing. What is clear, however, is that they will try to avoid the mistakes they have made with "Agents of Mayhem" in their next project.