Valve responds to layoffs

Valve cofounder Gabe Newell has responded to the reports of layoffs at the Half-Life and Counter-Strike developer today. In a statement sent to Engadget, Newell said the developer is not canceling any ongoing projects or changing its priorities.

"We don't usually talk about personnel matters for a number of reasons. There seems to be an unusual amount of speculation about some recent changes here, so I thought I'd take the unusual step of addressing them," Newell said.

"No, we aren't canceling any projects. No, we aren't changing any priorities or projects we've been discussing," he added. "No, this isn't about Steam or Linux or hardware or [insert game name here]. We're not going to discuss why anyone in particular is or isn't working here."

According to reports this afternoon, Valve laid off as many as 25 developers in its hardware and Android divisions as part of the company making "large decisions" about its future.

Prominent hardware developer Jeri Ellsworth said she was fired, while business director Jason Holtman has reportedly left for unknown reasons.