Game developers Funcom (Age of Conan) and Gearbox Software (Brothers in Arms) are the latest development companies to face the difficult decision of letting valued staff members go.

Funcom have been forced to lay off a section of their US-based customer service and QA staff for the PC massively multiplayer RPG, Age of Conan, presumably due to lower-than-expected performance of the MMOG, the former part of which was confirmed in a statement by Norway-based Funcom, also revealing new hire opportunities:

“We did have some staffing cuts at Funcom this week as well as new positions opening in the organization as part of our ongoing cost based efficiency and performance initiatives that are vital to any business.”

Gearbox Software, meanwhile, have 25 to 26 staff redundancies on their hands, following the release of two of their completed games, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway and the Wii version of Samba de Amigo. Gearbox are now focussing on consolidating their talent and moving forward as a more efficient organisation, as Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford spins:

“Over the last six weeks, we’ve been adjusting our internal strategy to move from being about Opportunity, Ambition and Growth to a strategy that is oriented towards Quality, Focus and Performance.”

“A number of recent tactical decisions here are a reflection of this new commitment and strategy. The timing of these tactical decisions relates more to natural manoeuvring that all studios should only consider after they finish a big effort than anything else.”

Despite the rumours, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Gearbox’s forthcoming title based in the Alien universe, has not been cancelled, although that’s not the issue at hand here. As developers grow in size, we’re bound to see more significant ‘temporary redundancies’ as the industry struggles with this eternal problem of ‘growth and attrition.’