Trion Worlds closes European office — cuts a dozen jobs

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Defiance developer Trion Worlds is closing its European office.

The developer revealed today, as first spotted by Polygon, that it’s axing the office and laying off 12 marketing employees. This will not affect development on any of Trion’s projects.

“As part of its recent company realignment, Trion’s European publishing office based in Guildford, U.K., will be closing down,” a Trion Worlds spokesperson told GamesBeat. “European localized versions of Trion’s live and upcoming games will not be affected as all regional game development and support continues from Redwood City, Calif.”

Earlier this month, Trion Worlds appointed Scott Hartsman as its new chief executive officer. Hartsman previously worked as the company’s chief creative officer for its massively multiplayer online game Rift. He left the company seven months ago but returned to take the CEO role.

Today’s office closure is an early step in Hartsman’s efforts to reorganize the company.

This news also follows the revelation that Trion Worlds is no longer publishing Crysis developer Crytek’s free-to-play first-person shooter Warface. Trion was running the North American and European beta trials for the game, but it is no longer involved. Crytek is now self-publishing and plans to launch a new beta test Aug. 21.