Midnight Society, the developer currently working on the NFT extraction shooter Deadrop, has confirmed "significant" layoffs at the studio, but says it remains committed to releasing the game in 2025 despite the cuts.
Layoffs at Midnight Society were first reported over the weekend by former employees on LinkedIn. One, former senior environment artist Tyler Moore, said he was "one of the many" artists let go in the cuts. Midnight Society has now confirmed the layoffs in a statement provided to PC Gamer.
"Unfortunately, Midnight Society has faced multiple unexpected challenges in recent months," a studio rep said. "To adapt to these changes and secure the future of Midnight Society, Deadrop, and our commitment to providing innovative gaming experiences, we've made the tough decision to streamline our operations, which includes a significant workforce reduction. We wouldn’t be here without the contributions of those who are affected and we thank them for all their incredible work, support them, and wish them the best."
"These measures, while difficult, are designed to strengthen our foundation and renew focus on our core mission. Despite these challenges, we remain dedicated to launching Deadrop in 2025."
The studio did not say how many people were put out of work but Deadrop content creator Jok5rr claimed on Twitter that the figure was "roughly 50%."
It's impossible to say how things have been going behind the scenes but the "unexpected challenges" cited in Midnight Society's statement are certainly at least in part a reference to the studio's dismissal of Guy Beahm, better known as the gaming streamer Dr Disrespect, who was terminated in June following his admission of an "inappropriate" exchange of messages with a minor in 2017. Beahm co-founded Midnight Society in 2021 along with former Call of Duty creative strategist Robert Bowling and Halo 5 multiplayer designer Quinn Delhoyo, and was its most high-profile booster, attracting a large following for Deadrop through his massive online audience.
As staff writer Morgan Park said in July, Beahm's dismissal presented an immediate problem for Midnight Society: While Midnight Society moved quickly to scrub Beahm's presence from its official channels, the game itself is suffused with the Dr Disrespect character, and he was a big part of the attraction for many of its early backers.
"Deadrop wasn't just Dr Disrespect's game, it was the Dr Disrespect game," Park wrote. "The shooter's art style matches Beahm's dark cyberpunk stream graphics and merchandise. Deadrop's core extraction mode was inspired by Beahm's love of Escape From Tarkov. The Deadrop assault rifle has two firing modes: 'Yaya' and 'Yayayaya,' a reference to the disgraced streamer's catchphrase."
And because Beahm's character was so central to Deadrop, his dismissal from Midnight Society led a not-inconsequential number of supporters to say they were walking away from the game. There's no telling how much of an impact that had on the decision to lay off employees, if any, but the timing is impossible to ignore.
In a message shared on the Midnight Society Discord (via Variant Intel), studio co-founder Robert Bowling said, "We'll be sharing our revised plans and milestones in the near future, and we thank you for your continued faith in our vision."
Beahm's YouTube profile still has multiple links to Midnight Society and refers to it as "my new AAA game studio," but Bowling reaffirmed that the streamer has no role with the studio, telling Esports.gg, "Guy Beahm has zero involvement in Midnight Society or the game Deadrop. He was terminated from his position after admitting to inappropriate messages with a minor."
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