Developer Scavengers Studio has laid off around 16 members of staff.

That's according to GamesIndustry.biz, which has received confirmation from the company that it has cut half of the roles at the studio. Scavengers has shared the email sent to staff by CEO Amélie Lamarche. This came in the wake of staff sharing on social media that they had been laid off from the company.

Scavengers Studio is the maker of Season: A Letter to the Future and Darwin Project.

"While Season received critical acclaim, it did not meet our commercial expectations," the message said.

"Despite our efforts to boost sales through content updates and discounts, the game only sold 60,000 copies during its first five months, which falls far short of what the studio needs to survive.

"Given the current global economic context and Season's financial results, we have been left with no choice but to make the difficult decision of downsizing the studio to a smaller, sustainable group of game developers. Unfortunately, this means parting ways with all but approximately 16 members of the Scavengers Studio team.

"We understand that there is no easy way to handle layoffs, and our primary concern is to ensure that those affected receive as much support as possible during this challenging transition. In addition to financial and psychological support, we will provide extended health coverage benefits and outplacement services to assist in finding new job opportunities within Montreal."