The Outsiders, the studio behind rhythm FPS game Metal: Hellsinger, has been shut down as part of Funcom's recently confirmed layoffs.
Former studio creative director and founder David Goldfarb confirmed the news in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "I have not had much time to process the news but all of us at The Outsiders and Funcom Stockholm have been affected by the layoffs at Funcom and our 10 year old studio will be closing."
"Many of us have survived a near-death studio experience years back when Darkborn was cancelled, and because of this team's loyalty and refusal to quit, Metal: Hellsinger was born. It will always be a high point for me personally and I will be forever grateful we got to make it and for the wonderful team and partnerships that made it happen.
We had hoped to do something even better this time - things don't always go the way you hope. But we are not giving up, and we are going to try to continue on in some new form If you think you can help in any way, with business leads, placement for employees, guidance, whatever it is, I would be genuinely grateful if you reach out here. Change is always tough and right now we are all hurting. Thanks so much."
Goldfarb also posted the same statement to his LinkedIn account, where he added that writing the statement "sucked" and that he was "afraid to press post because it will make it real. Oh well."
Funcom acquired The Outsiders back in 2021, while the two studios were already working on Metal: Hellsinger with Funcom as the game's publisher. The studio had been independent for six years before being acquired.
When the layoffs at Funcom were confirmed last week, Funcom did not initially say how many developers were impacted. According to The Outsiders' official website, at least 30 developers were employed at the Sweden-based studio.
In Funcom's statement regarding its layoffs, it claimed that its new survival MMO, Dune: Awakening, was "the biggest release we've had in our 32-year-long history of making great games." The cuts were made due to Funcom deciding it did not need the same number of developers as work on Dune: Awakening transitioned from developing for launch to maintaining it and creating new content.
Update 06/10/2025: This article was updated to accurately reflect The Outsiders and Funcom Stockholm as the same entity, and not different studios.
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