Bithell Games, the studio behind indie classics like Thomas Was Alone, John Wick Hex, and more recently Tron Identity and Tron: Catalyst, has laid off "the majority" of its full-time staff nearly two months after its most recent release, Tron Catalyst.
The news was announced with a statement from Mike Bithell, the studio's namesake and founder, who posted the statement on his personal BlueSky account.
Bithell cites the studio's inability to secure "a new larger scale project" as the reason behind the layoffs, and admits that these layoffs were something the studio anticipated ahead of Tron: Catalyst's release, writing, "It became clear leading up to the release of our most recent game that we were not immune to the challenges faced by many game development teams seeking funding partners in 2024 and 2025. We've fortunately been able to communicate these challenges ahead of time, and work with affected staff to ease departures as much as possible via severance packages."
Bithell adds that the cuts will not impact the studio's ability to support its published games. According to the studio's website, it's currently working on a project called Amberspire.
Tron: Catalyst was released on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on June 17, 2025, meaning these layoffs have come very nearly two months after its launch.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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