Pokémon GO creator Niantic has laid off 230 employees, citing the need to right-size its teams after overhiring during the pandemic. The company had previously laid off around 90 employees in 2020. As a result of the layoffs, some Niantic games, including NBA All-World and a Marvel franchise game, will be canceled. Niantic’s CEO, John Hanke, explained that the company’s revenue has returned to pre-pandemic levels, while new projects have not generated as much revenue as expected. Despite this setback, Niantic is still focused on building for mixed-reality devices and AR glasses with its developer tools, such as the Lightship AR developer kit and visual positioning system (VPS). However, one of its recent games, Peridot, has underperformed in terms of in-app purchase revenue. Pokémon GO remains Niantic’s biggest revenue generator, although some players have been critical of the company’s in-app purchase system, particularly the increased price of remote raid passes.
https://techcrunch.com/2023/06/29/niantic-lays-off-230-employees-cancels-nba-and-marvel-games/