Star Citizen maker Cloud Imperium Games has confirmed that it is cutting a "small number" of jobs.

In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, the company said that while it had cut some jobs, it was continuing to hire for "key roles". The layoffs appear to have stemmed from a return to office, namely to Cloud Imperium's new studio in Manchester, UK.

Word that layoffs were hitting Cloud Imperium were first reported by Game Developer, which cited staff taking to LinkedIn to share that they had been made redundant.

Producer Annie Bouffard – who has since resigned from the studio – complained that Cloud Imperium had a "highly toxic" working culture. She added that she had previously raised concerns of possible layoffs only to be "gaslighted" by her boss.

"As part of our normal processes, we regularly look for ways to make our operations more efficient, which can include restructuring in order to place a position closer to the team it supports," Cloud Imperium said.

"Now that we are back in office and seeing the progress and quality of work when our teams are in-person working together, we have decided to co-locate as much development as possible, which has resulted in some minor staffing changes as we move some development positions closer to their core teams.

"As a result of this consolidation, a small number of positions were eliminated and we continue to recruit for key roles within the company."