A troubling report states that Virtuos, the studio responsible for creating “Oblivion Remastered,” is laying off around 300 workers. This number represents about 7% of the studio’s entire workforce, despite their recent success with Oblivion.

Gauthier “Gautoz” Andres, co-founder of the French gaming website Origami, shared the news on Bluesky, highlighting the layoffs amid the ongoing challenges in the gaming industry.
“Mass layoffs are underway at Virtuos, the studio behind Oblivion Remastered and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Δ,” he stated, underscoring that even after releasing one of the year’s best-selling games, employees face job losses.

Andres elaborates that the studio has worked on various projects, contributing its expertise to titles like “Dark Souls Remastered” and coordinating with CD Projekt Red on continuous updates for “Cyberpunk 2077.” However, it seems the financial crunch is hitting even previously successful projects hard.

Challenges Ahead

Despite Oblivion’s success, which has been cited as the third best-selling game of 2025 in the U.S., reports indicate Virtuos’s unique contract structures may worsen staff job security. Many employees have been left waiting for uncertain futures as the gaming market shifts and project contracts are scrutinized. Andres notes:

“Virtuos is said to have made significant efforts on Oblivion, with a policy of over-quality relative to the budget and a contract without royalties. This results in teams being tested without the proper financial incentives for success.”

These changes reflect broader trends in the gaming industry, where even successful developers are not immune to the knife of cost-cutting measures.