Fae Farm and Dauntless Developer Phoenix Labs Lays Off 'Majority of the Studio' - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 27 January 2025 / 2,039 Views

Phoenix Labs, the Fae Farm and Dauntless developer, announced it has laid off the "majority of the studio."

"Today is another difficult day at Phoenix Labs," reads a post from the studio on LinkedIn. "We have made the tough decision to part ways with the majority of the studio as part of unfortunate but necessary changes to our operations.

"We recognize and deeply appreciate the contributions of every individual impacted. Their talent, dedication, and creativity have left an indelible mark on our company and our games.

"We will share more details in the coming weeks about what this means for Dauntless and Fae Farm. For now, our focus is on supporting those affected through this transition.

"To our industry peers, we encourage you to reach out to these exceptional individuals — they are some of the best in the business."

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Bluesky.

4 Comments

JRPGfan (on 27 January 2025)

Dauntless seemd to do fine right? so Fae Farm is what broke them? Or is this just some way to make more profits as mangement?

The Fury JRPGfan (on 28 January 2025)

I was about to research and comment based on Fae Farm's sales but then actually looked them up, they made 100 staff cuts in May last year, apparently have 4 "locations" as well, they've only ever made 2 games.

I wonder if they expanded too quickly without actually making a game that would sustain them in the long run just decent but middling games.

Astrals JRPGfan (on 28 January 2025)

The recent update killed Dauntless.

Players have widely criticized the Awakening update for resetting progression systems and removing all non-Exotic weapons, effectively erasing years of earned gear for longtime fans. Many negative reviews cite frustration over the abrupt loss of progress, with one user calling the changes "slap in the face to dedicated players." Others argue the update overly simplifies combat and undermines the game’s loot-driven appeal.