According to an anonymous but reliable source, Midway laid off an estimated 20 to 30 employees from its Chicago studio today. With work completed on the publisher's biggest holiday offering Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the lengths to which the company went just to manufacture the game, and another unprofitable quarter, the news likely won't come as a shock to many Midway employees. The publisher laid off 90 this summer at its Austin studio, a team hard at work on the unannounced Career Criminal open-world project. Midway's stock price has taken a beating since then, dropping from $2.60 to less than $0.25 per share. Update: A representative for Midway responded with the following.
This fall, the Chicago studio shipped two major frontline games — Blitz and soon MK — and also wrapped up remote support for TNA. As large projects are completed, it is expected for any multi-team studio to evaluate the appropriate staffing levels and team composition needed going forward. As a result, a small number of employees here in Chicago have been impacted and others reassigned. No other changes are being made at this time. Our Chicago studio will continue to be the home of the Mortal Kombat team, and we have several support groups and major prototype teams working in the facility as well.