Tripwire Interactive, the studio behind Killing Floor 3 and Maneater, has laid off 36 employees.
The company confirmed the cuts on November 9th in a statement titled 'An Update on Our Studio', shared on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn. "Tripwire has undergone a workforce reduction, affecting 36 talented people across our studio. This was certainly not an easy decision, but unfortunately a necessary one for the organisation," the statement read. Tripwire did not say why the cuts were needed or which teams were affected.
The studio thanked the departing staff and said it would support them through the transition. "These are truly great people who are exceptional at their roles, and we will help support these individuals with compassion and dignity during this transition," it added.
What's next for Tripwire
According to the announcement, Tripwire will keep working on its internal projects, including Maneater 2 and Killing Floor 3. Maneater 2, the sequel to the 2020 shark action RPG, was announced in September and is due in 2027, while Killing Floor 3 launched in July 2025 and still receives post-launch updates.
Its publishing label, Tripwire Presents, will also carry on. The timing stands out, as the layoffs come less than a week after Tripwire announced on November 4th that Tripwire Presents was expanding into indie publishing, naming five games for the initiative: The Boss Gangster: Criminal Empire, Starforged Legacy, Mars Attracts, One-Eyed Likho and Eslabong.
This is the second round of layoffs at Tripwire in 2026. In March, the studio cut 23 jobs, citing the need to align with business realities, which brings its publicly announced cuts this year to 59. Tripwire has been owned by Swedish games conglomerate Embracer Group since August 2022.
