DON’T NOD Montreal Hit by Lay-Offs Affecting 9 Employees

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In this round of job cuts affecting the gaming industry, it’s sad to report that Don’t Nod Studios Montreal is one of those affected. According to Mary Pouliot, a key cinematic artist at the studio, and Laurent Dufresne, a technical artist, they were both let go from the company.

Today, I learned I was let go from DON’T NOD Montréal. Although I had braced myself for the possibility of layoffs – something all too common in our industry – the news still hit me hard. I didn’t expect to receive this unfortunate notice when I woke up and headed to the studio today. Now, there are no more cinematic artists at DNM.

As of now, Don’t Nod hasn’t made any public comments regarding the issue. On the contrary, the French Union for Video Game Developers, Syndicat de Travailleureuses du Jeu Video, has issued a statement about it. Through social media, the union disclosed that 7 employees of Don’t Nod Montreal are facing temporary suspensions, while 9 have been let go due to lay-offs. According to the union’s report, these actions were taken to cut costs across the company as a whole.

According to a post by the union on BlueSky, 9 employees have been let go and 7 more are temporarily suspended at Don’t Nod Montréal. This is being done to cut costs throughout the company. The STJV stands with the affected workers and strongly criticizes Oskar Guilbert for his poor leadership of the business.

In France, unions managed to significantly reduce job cuts and negotiate fair termination packages. We cheer on and stand behind our counterparts overseas as they mobilize their industries in the Atlantic region! Actions speak louder than words.

Additionally, Sandra Cormier, our lead senior tester on the QA team, and Mathieu Tremblay, our senior game and level designer, were unfortunately included in the recent round of layoffs, just like Pouliot and Dufresne.

Tremblay shared on LinkedIn that he’s regretfully part of another round of job cuts impacting the video game industry. He takes great pride in what his team at Don’t Nod Montreal achieved with Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, and releasing the game under such quality was almost miraculous given the circumstances. He hopes those affected by this wave of layoffs find new opportunities swiftly, as they are all remarkably talented individuals.

It appears that numerous industries are currently experiencing a significant number of job cuts lately. Just this month, there were indications that Microsoft could potentially dismiss staff members spread throughout their Xbox department. As per the report, over a dozen employees have expressed concern regarding these potential layoffs.

In May, the company reduced its staff by approximately 3% from every team. This downsizing impacted over 6,000 employees as reported at that time.

At present, DON’T NOD studio is developing a fresh game titled “Aphelion“. This game was unveiled recently along with a trailer.

🇬🇧 At Don’t Nod Montréal, we regretfully announce that 9 team members have been let go and 7 more are temporarily on hold due to cost-cutting measures throughout the organization. We extend our sympathy to those affected. The STJV firmly opposes Oskar Guilbert’s disastrous leadership of the company.

— Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (@stjv.fr) 2025-06-26T16:57:46.038Z

In my enthusiasm for the labor movement, I’m thrilled to share that in France, unions have triumphantly managed to significantly reduce layoffs and secure fair exit terms. Here’s to raising a virtual fist in solidarity with our brothers and sisters bravely organizing industries on the other side of the ocean! Actions speak louder than words, let’s keep the fight going!

— Syndicat des Travailleureuses du Jeu Vidéo (@stjv.fr) 2025-06-26T16:57:46.059Z

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2025-06-27 15:42