Layoffs Occurring at Just Dance VR & Drop Dead Studio Soul Assembly

Soul Assembly, the creative force behind the games Drop Dead: The Cabin and Just Dance VR, is currently experiencing a wave of layoffs. Even though the studio hasn’t released an official statement, several employees have shared the unfortunate news on LinkedIn that the UK-based company is indeed undergoing redundancies. This downsizing seems to have touched several key areas including quality assurance, marketing, production, animation, and various artist roles.

At this point, it’s not entirely clear how many people are affected or the total size of Soul Assembly’s team, though their LinkedIn profile lists 74 employees. We’ve reached out for an official comment from the studio and will update with any new information as it becomes available.

In the realm of VR gaming, Soul Assembly has built quite a name for itself. Originally part of the developer Pixel Toys, the studio branched out on its own back in 2022. While its most recent releases are Just Dance VR and Last Stand, the team’s prior works include Warhammer 40k: Battle Sister and Drop Dead: Dual Strike. They’ve also ventured into mixed reality with efforts like Drop Dead: The Cabin’s Home Invasion mode for Quest and Soul Spire for Apple’s Vision Pro.

Sadly, Soul Assembly’s situation isn’t unique in the video game industry lately. The last couple of years have been particularly challenging. For instance, last October, XR Games, known for Hitman 3 VR: Reloaded, announced a significant restructuring, affecting 72 employees. Similarly, before launching new games Vendetta Forever and Frenzies, nDreams had to let go of 17.5% of its workforce.