Funcom, the developer behind The Secret World, is closing its Beijing studio branch amidst a hefty company restructure. Not only is the company’s Beijing office closing its doors, but they are cutting the employee count in both their Montreal and Raleigh, North Carolina offices.
The Beijing studio was responsible for the art and animation found in The Secret World. The Raleigh studio will now be handling the development and upkeep of Funcom’s three primary games, as well as the art and animation for the developer’s future endeavors.
Some Montreal staff were moved to the Raleigh location, while others weren’t so lucky. The Canada-based office will now be focusing on new technology and mobile development.
The details of the restructure point to Funcom focusing more on mobile, casual titles instead of the MMORPGs that they are known for. The announcement states that the company intends to “implement a strategy of developing smaller, high quality online games with more limited budgets and shorter production timelines“.
(Via Develop)
