While there isn’t an exact number of how many people are being laid off at 38 Studios, the game development company started by former Red Sox pictcher Curt Schilling, we do know of at least 2 people who no longer work there. According to their Linkedln profiles, CEO Jen MacLean and Senior VP of product development John Blakely are no longer working for 38 Studios. At this time it is not known if they were forced out of the company or if they left the company on their own terms, though I’d have to think that it’s the latter seeing that MacLean’s profile states that she left the struggling company in March.
If I were in their shoes, I’d be leaving too. The company at this point in time is like the Titanic, and it’s going down fast. If they want to have any hope of staying afloat for any length of time, they’re going to need some financial backing, and fast, because the State of Rhode Island, where 38 Studios is based, is not going to be giving it to them.
In other bad news for the company, their payroll problem is worse than we thought. While it’s well known that the company didn’t pay their employees last week, it turns out that not only have they not received paychecks since May 1st, but their health care is no longer available as of midnight this previous night. This company will not be around in a month. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this company folded by the end of the week. There are going to be a lot of angry people, from taxpayers, to employees, to investors, and they will want answers.