14 DAY TRIAL // Lightbox Interactive, the company that created Starhawk, announces that it has laid off a number of people and that it is shifting its focus away from AAA video games for home consoles to smaller experiences that can be played on iOS and other mobile devices.
Dylan Jobe, the president of Lightbox, states that 24 employees have been let go and that, “All 24 employees were also given a severance package.”
The executive says that the video game industry as a whole is changing at a high pace and that his team is better suited to the world of mobile games.
Sony confirms that it is no longer working with Lightbox via a statement that reads, “We have had a positive and long-standing working relationship with this talented studio, and wish them the best of success in their next endeavor. Starhawk and Warhawk will continue to be supported by Santa Monica Studio.”
Jobe also says that the working relationship between his company and Sony went rather well.
Lightbox was created in 2009 by a number of developers who had previously worked at Incognito, the studio that created Warhawk and also provided work on the Twisted Metal series.
Starhawk was a PlayStation 3-exclusive title which was offered in early May this year.
The game is described as a third-person shooter which also includes a number of sections where the player controls a vehicle.
The focus on Starhawk, as that of its predecessor Warhawk, is on multiplayer matches, which include up to 32 players and feature mechs and other vehicles.
Gamers also have the option to deploy a number of buildings, including bunkers and turrets, during matches in order to augment their defense or to suppress their enemies.
Starhawk failed to perform well commercially or get a large multiplayer fan base.