Auroch Digital, the studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, appears to be implementing significant layoffs. The company posted a statement on LinkedIn indicating it was undergoing a restructuring that would impact roughly a quarter of its staff, citing "market conditions that have challenged so many of our fellow developers." This announcement has since been deleted from the platform, though its content was reported by industry outlets.
"Over the past year our colleagues have delivered amazing games like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! to wonderful reception from our players," the deleted statement reportedly read. "Despite that creative success, the same market conditions that have challenged so many of our fellow developers have now also affected us. Consequently, we have made the decision to restructure the studio to work through a turbulent and uncertain time in our industry."
At least two Auroch Digital employees have also commented on the redundancy notification, suggesting the layoffs did occur despite the removal of the official announcement. The news comes as a surprise given the studio's recent successes. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, released in 2023, received widespread critical acclaim, with PC Gamer calling it "the first truly exceptional Warhammer 40,000 game since Dawn of War." Its sequel, Boltgun 2, also launched recently to positive reception and holds an "overwhelmingly positive" rating on Steam. Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War received a less enthusiastic response, but the studio also has Warhammer Survivors slated for a November release.
Auroch Digital was acquired by Roundtable Interactive, a deal backed by EMK Capital, less than a year ago. The studio has not provided further comment on the deleted announcement or the reported layoffs.