MercurySteam announces 'difficult and painful' job cuts as its God of War-inspired hack 'n' slash arrives on Steam

Games Action Blades of Fire MercurySteam announces 'difficult and painful' job cuts as its God of War-inspired hack 'n' slash arrives on Steam News By Rick Lane published 16 May 2026 The developer of Blades of Fire has initiated a "workforce adjustment process." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: MercurySteam) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter MercurySteam, the developer behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and the Switch exclusive Metroid Dread, has announced layoffs in the same week its latest game Blades of Fire launches on Steam."There's no easy way to share this kind of news, but today we must communicate that MercurySteam has initiated a workforce adjustment process," the studio wrote in a LinkedIn post (via GamesIndustry) adding that, "while this is something common within the production cycles of our industry, it is nonetheless a difficult and painful situation."MercurySteam did not reveal the extent of the job cuts, or which positions would be affected. But it said in its statement that it "will do everything we can to help these professionals find new opportunities", urging developers with open positions to reach out to the studio.Latest Videos From You may like MindsEye developer Build a Rocket Boy lays off even more people MechWarrior studio Piranha Games lays off 30% of its employees Iron Galaxy lays off more people, says it still had too many employees even after 2025's 'last resort' cuts The developer also didn't explain the reasons behind the job cuts, although it's likely related to Blades of Fire's underwhelming sales. The God of War-inspired action adventure was revealed to have "underperformed" in June last year, with Digital Bros (the company behind publishing label 505 Games) announcing in a press release that it anticipated an €8 million write-off, in part due to the game's commercial struggles. Blades of Fire - Official Steam Announcement Trailer - YouTube Watch [Conteúdo truncado para controle de custo.]