Terra Tech maker Payload Studios is cutting 25 per cent of its staff. 

In a post on LinkedIn, CEO and founder Russ Clarke wrote that the company had tried "very hard" to avoid having to lay off employees but said that things had been too tough within the industry. 

"Small independents like us have no protection from this, other than 'nailing it' every time, which is much easier said than done," he wrote. 

"Payload will carry on, and bounce back from this, I firmly believe; but it's a hard road and it will stay hard for a good while longer. TerraTech and TerraTech Worlds will continue to be maintained and developed without interruption - we thank our wonderful community for their support, and we wish the best to those amazing co-workers with whom we have shared this incredible journey, but must now regretfully part ways."