Key Notes
- Auroch Digital has opened a redundancy consultation affecting around a quarter of studio roles, with the final number of job losses not yet announced.
- The proposal came 12 days after Boltgun 2 launched, despite the studio highlighting positive player reception for its recent games.
- Development and post-launch support for Boltgun 2 and Warhammer Survivors will continue, with Survivors still scheduled for November 10.
Auroch Digital has begun a redundancy consultation affecting around a quarter of its roles, putting a substantial share of the British developer’s workforce at risk less than two weeks after Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 launched.
The studio’s October 26 statement, quoted by Insider Gaming in its report, attributed the restructuring to difficult market conditions. Auroch said development and post-launch support for Boltgun 2 and the upcoming Warhammer Survivors would continue.
A Quarter of Roles Enter Consultation
The proposal concerns approximately 25% of studio roles. A final number of job losses has not been announced, so the consultation should not be treated as confirmation that a quarter of employees have already left.
GamesIndustry.biz also reported the statement, in which management expressed regret over the situation and said supporting staff through the process was its priority. Auroch appealed to other companies to consider opportunities for affected colleagues.
The studio highlighted the positive player reception for Boltgun 2 and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! while explaining that it had nonetheless been affected by the same pressures facing other developers. It did not provide a project-by-project financial breakdown establishing the cause of the proposed cuts.
Boltgun 2 Launched Just 12 Days Earlier
Boltgun 2’s Steam listing dates its release to October 14, placing the consultation announcement 12 days later. The store credits Auroch Digital as developer and Big Fan Games and Devolver Digital as publishers.
The sequel builds on the original Boltgun’s retro first-person shooting with a branching single-player campaign. Players choose between returning Ultramarine Malum Caedo and Sister of Battle Nyra Veyrath, whose different weapons and abilities offer separate approaches to combat.
Its published feature list includes new locations and enemy factions, alongside optional navigation tools such as a guide and automap. Those additions expand the player-facing package, but the announcement does not connect any particular feature, development expense or sales target to the staffing proposal.
For people who have recently bought the game, Auroch’s support commitment is the immediate practical detail. The studio has said work will continue rather than announcing an end to support alongside the consultation.
Warhammer Survivors Remains Scheduled for November
The next release on Auroch’s calendar is Warhammer Survivors. The studio’s official FAQ lists November 10 as the launch date, with versions planned for PC through Steam and GOG, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, iOS and Android.
The listed price is $7.99, £6.39 or €7.49, with possible differences by platform and region. Auroch describes it as a standalone game rather than Vampire Survivors DLC, and says its launch focus is single-player play.
Developed in partnership with poncle and Warhammer, the game brings characters from Warhammer 40,000 and Age of Sigmar into a survivors-style action format. Its game page describes collecting and evolving weapons while fighting growing enemy swarms, with unlockable characters and upgrades supporting further attempts.
The two Warhammer projects occupy different stages: Boltgun 2 is already in players’ hands, while Survivors is preparing for release. Continuing both therefore means maintaining an existing game while completing another launch.
The staffing news follows other studio reductions we reported on at Fishlabs earlier this month. At Auroch, the next concrete development will be the outcome of the consultation; the proposed percentage remains the measure of roles at risk, rather than a final count of departures.
