4 Niantic games canceled and numerous layoffs

After the closure of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite servers earlier this year, we have just learned that 4 Niantic games have been cancelled. While Pokémon Go continues to rake in huge sums of money and has just joined the most profitable mobile games with more than $6 billion since 2016, it is not a time for celebration for the studio Niantic Labs.

Niantic fails to turn the tables

Despite the success of Pokémon GO, Niantic Labs is having a hard time repeating the feat with its other games. While the studio has just announced Niantic Campfire community application release and the launch of NBA All-World and Peridot is approaching, it is the cancellation of 4 Niantic games in development that is making news today.

In a press release, Jonny Thaw, Niantic Labs' vice president of communications, announced four projects abandonment. According to him, the studio is going through a difficult transition. The objective of these Niantic games cancellations is to focus on the priorities, namely the existing titles and the two releases that should see the light of day in a few months.

4 Niantic games canceled

The first Niantic game cancellation is Hamlet, in collaboration with the Punchdrunk collective. If the name doesn't ring a bell, they are a talented theatre group known for Sleep No More, an immersive show in which the audience is surrounded by actors and extras in a hotel. Knowing their creativity in terms of storytelling, we regret that this project never saw the light of day.

Other titles that have been put on hold include Transformers: Heavy Metal, the popular robot franchise adaptation, as well as Blue Sky and Snowball, for which we had no information.

Unfortunately, Niantic games cancellation is not the only bad news for the studio. Indeed, more than 80 employees working on these projects will also be fired. In this way, Niantic manages to get rid of 8% of its payroll.

That's it for 4 Niantic games cancellation in development. Let's hope the studio manages to regain its strength with the release of its next games, Peridot and NBA All-World, for which pre-registration is open.