The WB Games Montreal studio has announced the firing of 99 staff, with the Keywords team being the most affected. This team is a subcontractor of WB Games, and it’s responsible for the quality assurance of video games. According to CBC Radio Canada, the company invited the staff to a video conference meeting on Monday morning, where they laid off the employees after claiming they did not have enough projects to work on.
The fired staff were also called to another meeting, where they were given two options. They could speak to a counselor to find a new job or put their names on a recall list in case WB Games Montreal had a project for them. Unfortunately, the second option will only become available in 2026. The employees laid off will need to leave the offices in eight weeks.
There were 240 Keywords employees who worked as subcontractors in WB Games Montreal; this round of layoffs has removed more than a third of the team’s crew. The news completely surprised those who were affected. “I feel stressed and depressed,” an unnamed employee told CBC Radio Canada. “I feel like the company just ruined 99 lives.”
Another staff member said they had been submitting numerous applications to other studios, even for positions they were not qualified for. Others said that they wished WB Games Montreal could’ve informed them sooner about this if the layoffs were planned so they could have a chance to get back on their feet faster.
The staff claimed that there was no mention of layoffs during the recent biannual meeting in late summer. In fact, they said that the studio stated there would be many projects for the team to work on. CBC Radio Canada attempted to contact WB Games Montreal for an interview, but the studio has not responded yet.
Although WB Games Montreal has not confirmed the layoffs, many have speculated that this round of firings is caused by a string of recent failures. After all, Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagues have not performed very spectacularly. Recently, the company has even announced that they will stop adding new content to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagues after the release of season 4.
