South of Midnight studio Compulsion Games are allowing staff to openly seek new jobs ahead of possible Xbox layoffs, according to report

With the days ticking down until July, when Xbox are said to be fully pulling the trigger on mass upheaval that could see studios closed and will almost certainly see jobs cut, bosses at one of the studios reported to have its future hanging in the balance have given some staff permission to openly seek new work. This, it's claimed, is the reason a bunch of devs at South of Midnight studio Compulsion Games have taken to LinkedIn ahead of any layoffs being confirmed to post that they're on the market for other jobs.

There have been a wave of these posts from Compulsion devs across various departments over the past week or so. "After a couple wonderful years at Compulsion Games (Xbox Game Studios), I'm looking for my next opportunity," writer and narrative designer Bijan Stephen wrote in his post. "I'm very grateful for my time there, and for what it taught me: how to be a better collaborator, how to be more open to change, and how to go from concept to execution at a high level -- among many other things. I'm very, very grateful to the amazing people there, who taught me so much about what it takes to make a truly beautiful game." Principal level designer Mike Sklavounos, principal game designer Cameron McGrory, technical animator Ines Bouakkaoui, and dialogue designer Sean Miller are all among those who've posted similar messages.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier has now reported that they aren't a sign any layoffs have already taken place. "Xbox's layoffs are not beginning until early July," he wrote in a comment on Reddit. "What happened at Compulsion is that studio leadership gave their employees permission to openly look for work because they almost certainly will be losing their jobs then. Nobody has been laid off yet."

As Schreier acknowledged, that might sound like it's not too different to these devs having been confirmed to be let go. However, it does mean that these posts on LinkedIn likely don't point in a surefire direction when it comes to Compulsion's fate. Earlier this month Compulsion were one of the Microsoft-owned studios reported to be in negotiations over their future, with closure or spinning off into independence likely with a new backer seeming the main two outcomes on the table. Hellblade developers Ninja Theory and Psychonauts developers Double Fine were reported to be in similar boats.

As of right now, these posts look like they could fit with both Compulsion shutting down entirely or living on with a much smaller staff if they do manage to find either new ownership or a way to go independent.

Solidarity and best of luck to any and all Compulsion Games developers and other Xbox staff facing an uncertain future.