Fruit Ninja studio Halfbrick hit with layoffs: 'we are navigating a challenging period for the games industry'

Fruit Ninja studio Halfbrick hit with layoffs: ‘we are navigating a challenging period for the games industry’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Puzzle Devs behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters are done with big shooters after getting burned by Embracer, so their next game is a Balatro-like twist on Scrabble—and you can try the demo now Assassin’s Creed Former Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry director says Ubisoft ‘became very allergic’ to new games, which contributed to a ‘talent drain’ Gaming Industry 3 months after laying off a bunch of people, Splash Damage has become ‘Splash Damage Group’ and acquired another studio Action Just Cause dev co-founder says the studio got too big and ‘numbers focused,’ so he quit and made a $25 open world crime brawler FPS Highguard developers were surprised by layoff notices, new report says: They thought they’d have at least a few months to work on it but when Tencent ended funding, there was nothing left Gaming Industry Krafton’s new chief AI officer says the company ‘uses AI as a tool to amplify human imagination and creativity, not replace it’ 3 months after it announced a hiring freeze and launched a voluntary resignation programme Gaming Industry Bluepoint Games, Sony’s famed remaster studio, is being closed as the fallout from PlayStation’s disastrous pivot to live service continues Gaming Industry Styx publisher Nacon files for insolvency just a week after we gave its latest game 82%, asks white-knuckling creditors to figure out what’s next in ‘a calm and constructive framework’ Sports Skate studio Full Circle is laying off employees, says having fewer people working there will enable it to ‘move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently for all of you,’ somehow Games Amazon expected this co-op party game to draw in 100,000+ active players, but it hit an all-time peak of just 320 on Steam and now it’s closing for good just 6 months after it launched Gaming Industry XCOM designer Jake Solomon announces surprise closure of his studio alongside a first look at its canceled life sim, ‘the game we poured our hearts into’ Gaming Industry Amazon’s gaming walkback continues as it ends publishing deal for a new racing game being headed up by former Forza Horizon creative director Gaming Industry The maker of Prototype and Simpsons: Hit and Run returns from the grave just months after an out-of-the-blue update broke Prototype’s mods and added mysterious new credits FPS Highguard didn’t flop FPS 16 days after Highguard’s launch, the studio has laid off ‘most of the staff’ PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Resident EvilArc RaidersBest PC gearGame Quizzes Gaming Industry Fruit Ninja studio Halfbrick hit with layoffs: ‘we are navigating a challenging period for the games industry’ News By Shaun Prescott published 3 March 2026 They come just months after the release of a new Bluey game. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Halfbrick) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. 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From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter An Australian studio responsible for a raft of hugely successful games, including Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride, has announced layoffs. Brisbane-based Halfbrick Studios confirmed as much on LinkedIn last week, just months after the release of its most recent game Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen.”Today we’re sharing that Halfbrick is making changes to our team structure, including role redundancies in Australia and the conclusion of a number of engagements internationally,” a spokesperson for the company wrote.”This was not a decision we made lightly. Like many studios, we are navigating a challenging period for the games industry, and we’ve had to make some hard choices about how we move forward. These changes are driven by organizational and strategic priorities, not individual performance.” Related articles Wreckreation developer puts its entire staff on notice as publisher THQ Nordic abandons it: ‘We simply cannot sustain the studio in its current form’ 16 days after Highguard’s launch, the studio has laid off ‘most of the staff’ Three months after laying off a bunch of people, Payday studio Starbreeze lays off a bunch more people Halfbrick was founded in 2001 and at first specialised in handheld games. The bulk of Halfbrick’s best known output is for mobile, though the studio