Image via Don’t Nod/Focus Entertainment.
Don’t Nod is changing its business structure, and thankfully, without any layoffs required.
Going forward, the French studio will be split into three internal branches: RPG, narrative-adventure, and action-adventure. The first two are respectively represented by Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden and Harmony: The Fall of Reverie.
Last month, French union STJV claimed Don’t Nod suffered from widespread mismanagement and burnout. It was all at the cost of a “grueling” reorganization, which this seems to be the end product of.
While each branch is said to keep its “own focus,” CEO Oskar Guilbert assured there would still be “collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas.”
Presently, Don’t Nod is at work on seven projects across its two offices. The Paris team is making an action-adventure title, while the Montreal team is developing Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.
These projects, according to executive producer Sophie Filip, are being billed as double-A games. She explained to IGN that these projects “really focus our efforts and different talents to hopefully avoid being in the situation where we have to make tough decisions.”
Don’t Nod staff previously told the STJV about the studio’s tendency to start projects without a clear goal. Employees also claimed many of its issues stem from higher-ups’ inability to talk with staff in a conductive manner.
A spokesperson further told GamesBeat Don’t Nod would “slightly adjust” its internal pipeline for simultaneous productions. It’ll now prioritize projects that “make the most of our talents’ expertise” and still release (at least) two games per year.”
Even with this, Don’t Nod will also publish games from external partners, such as a project from Tiny Bull Studios and Tolima’s Koira.
About the Author(s)
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s had, because the answer will be more than he’s willing to admit.
