Unity lays off an additional 25 percent of its staffers

Enlarge (credit: Unity)

When Unity laid off 265 Weta Digital engineers in November, the company warned that more layoffs would be necessary in the near future as part of a plan to "refocus" on the company's core game engine business. A large chunk of those changes became real on Monday as the Unity Engine maker told the SEC that "it plans to reduce approximately 1,800 employee roles, or approximately 25% of its current workforce."

"This decision was not taken lightly, and we extend our deepest gratitude to those affected for their dedication and contributions," Unity Director of PR Kelly Ekins said in a statement to The Verge. Ekins added that the layoffs will be spread across "all teams," and a company spokesperson told Reuters that this round of layoffs will be complete by March, with additional internal changes coming thereafter.

The massive staffing cuts come after over 1,300 layoffs already implemented across the company in multiple waves since June 2022 (including those November Weta Digital cuts). Despite that, Unity's statement to the SEC says these further cuts are necessary "to position [the company] for long-term and profitable growth."