By Brian Gaar
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Austin gaming studio Vigil Games will lay off nearly 80 employees next month, its parent company THQ Inc. said.
The layoffs, which will affect 79 full-time employees, come as THQ announced an overhaul of its upcoming "Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium" game, which is being developed at Vigil and a Canadian studio.
The game will be changed "from a Massively Multiplayer Online game to an immersive single player and online multiplayer experience with robust digital content, and engaging community features," according to a THQ news release.
"As previously announced, we have been actively looking for a business partner for the game as an MMO. However, based on changing market dynamics and the additional investment required to complete the game as an MMO, we believe the right direction for us is to shift the title from an MMO to a premium experience with single and multiplayer gameplay, robust digital content and community features," said Brian Farrell, president and CEO of THQ. "Because we believe strongly in the high-quality and vast creative work that is in production, this is the right decision for both our portfolio and for gamers devoted to this powerful property."
The layoffs will begin May 28, THQ said.
Vigil will continue to work on "Warhammer," but a release date has not yet been announced.
Vigil came to Austin in 2009, when THQ signed a lease for 33,000 square feet of office space in Four Points Centre, a 333-acre mixed-use project at RM 2222 and RM 620.
Vigil released the action-adventure game "Darksiders" in 2010, and the studio will continue to work on a sequel that's expected to be released this summer. Phone calls to the studio were not returned Monday.
A THQ spokeswoman said that the company will work to help the released employees find new jobs.
Contact Brian Gaar at 912-5932
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