Croatia-based game development studio Gamepires announced on the official X account for its currently available open-world survival game *SCUM* that it will be implementing layoffs to downsize the studio.
*SCUM* Development Team Also Affected
According to the announcement, this downsizing is intended to adapt to challenging market conditions and ensure long-term sustainability. While the statement notes that the layoffs will affect studio members and the *SCUM* development team, specific numbers have not been disclosed.
The studio emphasized that these layoffs are a business decision and in no way reflect an evaluation of the team’s work, and they posted a message thanking the members for their contributions to date. Development of *SCUM* will continue, and further updates and new content are planned.
Acquired by Splash Damage in February 2026
Gamepires is a studio founded in 2010 that has received high praise for titles such as *Gas Guzzlers Extreme*, released in 2013.*SCUM* launched on Steam Early Access on August 30, 2018, and released an update bringing the game to its official release on June 17, 2025—approximately seven years later.
The studio was acquired by Jagex—known for the *RuneScape* series—in 2022, and it was reported in February 2026 that it had been acquired by Splash Damage, the studio behind the *Gears* series and *Halo: The Master Chief Collection*.As of the time of this writing (October 14, 2026, 10:45 PM), no announcement has been made by Splash Damage.
