Among Us VR Studio Schell Games Cuts Staff [Update 2026]

Pittsburgh-based developer Schell Games, widely celebrated for co-developing Among Us VR and the I Expect You To Die puzzle franchise, has officially announced a second round of company-wide layoffs to ensure long-term operational sustainability amid severe gaming industry contractions. According to verified reports from GamesIndustry.biz, the independent studio confirmed the job reductions in an official public statement, acknowledging that a significant number of developers across engineering, art, game design, sound, marketing, IT support, user research, and quality assurance were let go. The studio did not disclose the exact number of redundant roles, but the announcement marks another tough moment for a company that had avoided staff reductions for over two decades since its founding in 2002. CEO Jesse Schell previously advocated for employment preservation, telling GamesIndustry.biz that prioritizing corporate stability was the primary defense against industry instability. However, mounting macro pressures across the virtual reality sector forced leadership to cut costs. While major live-service juggernauts adjust their seasonal cadences, as tracked in the [Fortnite Treasure Hunters Weekly Schedule & Roadmap [Confirmed]](/news/fortnite-treasure-hunters-weekly-schedule), mid-sized VR studios face tighter hardware adoption margins and lower recurring software revenue.