FuturLab Layoffs and Game Cancellation Confirmed by CEO

FuturLab, the UK-based studio behind the PowerWash Simulator series, has laid off up to seven employees and cancelled an active, in-development game. The news, which first surfaced through a report by The Week in Videogames (TWIV), was subsequently confirmed by FuturLab CEO Kirsty Rigden.

According to a statement from Rigden, the decision to halt development on the unannounced project was made after financial projections indicated the game would cost more to produce than it was expected to earn. Rigden explained that continuing the project "wouldn’t have been a sensible decision" and that "by making difficult decisions early we protect FuturLab in the future." Rigden expressed appreciation for the affected staff members, calling them "super talented" individuals who had been with the company for a long time.

However, anonymous sources speaking to TWIV shared several claims regarding the workplace environment leading up to and during the layoffs. One source alleged that employees assigned to the now-cancelled project spent several weeks without any new work assigned to them.

Additional reports from sources close to the situation claimed there was a strict policy regarding how the staff reductions were discussed internally. According to these accounts, employees were instructed not to use the term "redundancy" and were instead requested to refer to departed employees as "the leavers." Furthermore, sources claimed that some managers and team leads were not notified when or why their direct reports would be absent, with some affected individuals simply stopping work after entering redundancy discussions.

When asked for further clarification regarding these internal communication and departure processes, FuturLab declined to comment on specific details, citing the legal constraints of United Kingdom employment law. The studio stated that it was "unable to divulge any further details about a confidential and legally binding process."

Going forward, FuturLab's current plans involve maintaining ongoing support for PowerWash Simulator 2 while prototyping ideas for future gaming projects.