Rock Band Dev Cuts 17 Jobs Amid Restructuring

Independent developer Harmonix, known for Rock Band and Dance Central, has enacted a new round of layoffs. A spokesperson for the Boston-based studio confirmed to GI.biz that 17 jobs were cut amid a round of layoffs related to a restructuring based on the needs of the studio.

"Today we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to 17 talented people as we restructured to align with our current and anticipated development needs," reads a line from the statement. "These people all played a role in making Harmonix and its games what they are today and we are more than grateful for their contributions. We are working to ensure that they are taken care of as we make this change."

Harmonix recently shipped Rock Band VR and announced a brand-new card-based music game called DropMix that it's making with toy giant Hasbro. Additionally, Harmonix is working on another virtual reality game called SingSpace. The studio also continues to support Rock Band 4.

As GI.biz explains, Harmonix has cut jobs now in four of the past five years. One of the deeper rounds of layoffs came in 2014, when Harmonix eliminated 37 positions. As part of that round of cuts, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos stepped aside from his role as chief executive and transitioned to chief creative officer.