Two Weeks After Launching Boltgun 2, Auroch Digital Announces 25% Layoffs Before Deleting the Post
The post-launch celebration barely lasted two weeks. Just thirteen days after Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 launched on October 14 to strong praise from retro FPS fans, UK developer Auroch Digital is facing severe internal cuts. The Bristol-based studio published a statement on LinkedIn announcing a restructuring plan that will eliminate roughly 25% of its workforce, only to scrub the post from its social channels shortly afterward.
A Quarter of Studio Roles Cut Despite Back-to-Back 2026 Releases
In the brief public statement posted to its official LinkedIn page, Auroch Digital's leadership praised the creative output of its development teams over the past year. Alongside the bloody return of Space Marine veteran Malum Caedo and Battle Sister Nyra Veyrath published by Big Fan Games and Devolver Digital, the studio also shipped the retro shooter Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! with publisher Dotemu on March 16, 2026.
"Over the past year our colleagues have delivered amazing games like Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! to wonderful reception from our players. Despite that creative success, the same market conditions that have challenged so many of our fellow developers have now also affected us. Consequently, we have made the decision to restructure the studio to work through a turbulent and uncertain time in our industry."
Specifically, management confirmed that it has opened a formal redundancy consultation process affecting approximately a quarter of all roles at the company. Founded in Bristol in 2010, Auroch Digital was acquired by Sumo Group in September 2021 before being sold in 2025 to Roundtable Interactive Group and private equity firm EMK Capital.
Why Did Auroch Digital Delete Its Layoff Announcement?
Shortly after the announcement went live, the post vanished from Auroch Digital's LinkedIn profile and social media accounts, sparking immediate confusion across the industry. However, the deleted message does not mean the layoffs have been called off.
Two current employees at the Bristol studio confirmed internally that the layoffs are moving forward as planned. Under UK employment law, companies proposing collective redundancies must conduct a mandatory consultation period with affected staff and workplace representatives before finalizing job cuts. The public statement was almost certainly published prematurely ahead of those legal notifications, prompting management to pull it down until formal proceedings conclude.
What Happens Next to Warhammer Survivors and Boltgun 2 Support?
The restructuring hits at a critical moment for Auroch Digital's release pipeline. In less than two weeks, the studio is set to ship Warhammer Survivors on November 10, 2026 across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, mobile devices, and day one on Xbox Game Pass. Built in partnership with Vampire Survivors creator poncle, the bullet-heaven roguelite features more than 40 playable champions from both Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar.
At the same time, the team continues to work on space agency management sequel Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, which has yet to receive a final release date. In its original announcement, Auroch Digital stated that post-launch support for Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 and ongoing development for Warhammer Survivors will continue uninterrupted despite the staff reductions.
My Take
There is something deeply frustrating about watching a mid-sized studio ship three distinct, well-received projects in a single calendar year and still lose a quarter of its staff. This isn't a bloated AAA production stuck in development hell for eight years; Auroch Digital delivered Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! in March, launched a sharp sequel in Boltgun 2 on October 14, and has Warhammer Survivors locked for November 10. Seeing leadership praise that "creative success" while handing out redundancy notices just thirteen days after a major launch shows how thin the margin for error has become for studios caught in private equity transitions. Pulling the LinkedIn announcement down in a panic only adds unnecessary chaos for the developers who actually built those games.
SEO consultant for over 20 years and digital entrepreneur, Charles 'Grimtag' Ronchain is the founder of Pro-Gamer.gg, Retrocharting.com, and Gamescharting.com. A competitive gamer, streamer, and retro game collector, he has worked in the video game industry for over 15 years, notably as a consultant for leading game price comparison platforms. Passionate about real-time performance data and gaming technology, he analyzes competitive esports, gaming hardware benchmarks, and creator workflows on Pro-Gamer.gg with an authentic player perspective.
