Game studio Midnight Society has laid off part of its development team following drama with co-founder and YouTube star Dr Disrespect.
The studio was revealed back in 2021 and quickly grew in popularity as YouTube star Dr Disrespect was heavily involved in its launch.
In June 2024, however, Midnight Society cut ties with Dr Disrespect after he admitted to inappropriately messaging a minor in a post on X. This news prompted many players to abandon the studio’s game, DEADROP, calling it “dead in the water.”
Studio head Robert Bowling revealed on September 6, 2024, that they laid off “a number” of developers – leaving many wondering about the future of the studio and its upcoming title.
“Hey Everyone – There is no denying that today is an extremely difficult day for everyone. My focus remains the same as it has always been, to support the developers of this game in their efforts to ship DEADROP,” he said.
“However today, we are going to lose a number of those team members. Despite those affected no longer holding the Midnight Society role here, they remain a cherished and valued member of the community and legacy of this game, and my entire being is dedicated to seeing them join us again in the future.”
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UPDATE:Unfortunate news today from FourZeroTwo, following Dr Disrespects livestream. More layoffs are happening at Midnight Society. No further details yet. We here at Variant Intel wish those affected only the best 🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/568lBn6UdJ
— Variant Intel (@VariantIntel) September 6, 2024
Bowling followed up with another statement on September 9, reinforcing the studio’s plan to meet DEADROP’s 2025 release window.
“These measures, while difficult, are designed to strengthen our foundation and renew focus on our core mission. Despite these challenges, we remain dedicated to launching DEADROP in 2025. We’ll be sharing our revised plans and milestones in the near future, and we thank you for your continued faith in our vision,” he explained.
On Friday, roughly 50% of the development team at Midnight Society were laid off. This was unexpected and crushing to see for those of us in the community. Obviously, the studio has been through a lot due to the recent drama surrounding Doc. Today, Rob Bowling gave us an update… pic.twitter.com/eF2boJyKwn
— JOK5RR (@JOK5RR) September 10, 2024
The follow-up message was shared by DEADROP-focused content creator Jok5rr, who claims “roughly 50%” of the development team was laid off – although Bowling did not confirm that amount himself.
Users were quite shocked about the decision, but are left waiting to see what happens with the future of the extraction shooter.
This comes just after Dr Disrespect returned to the internet with a stream on YouTube that quickly became his highest-viewed broadcast on the platform.