Rovio has confirmed to us that it has cut 20 staff at its İzmir, Türkiye-based studio Ruby Games.
The Angry Birds maker is not closing the studio, and will retain a small team at Ruby who will continue to run its existing catalogue of hybridcasual games which includes Hunter Assassin, Beauty Care and My Tidy Life.
Rovio said the move is due to challenging market conditions and a tighter focus on the Angry Birds franchise.
A Rovio spokesperson told us: “We have decided to scale down the Ruby Games studio. Going forward, we will have a small Ruby team keeping the existing games portfolio going. The studio is not being closed.”
“The downsizing impacts around 20 employees, and all of them are offered outplacement support to help with the transition.”
“This decision was not made lightly. The market has become increasingly challenging and it is necessary for Rovio to focus on Angry Birds games going forward.”
Rovio announced the acquisition of Ruby Games in 2021, and completed the multi-stage buyout in 2022. The deal ended up being worth an estimated $40m, though the total final cost was never officially disclosed.
In August, we revealed that Rovio Copenhagen would be closing following the cancellation of Sonic Blitz. Rovio said it would be trying to relocate or retain as many staff as possible, so could not confirm the number of layoffs. It also laid off 36 staff in October 2025 as Angry Birds Dream Blast underperformed and the Finnish firm continued its integration into new parent company Sega.
In October, Sega West Studios COO and Rovio CEO Alexandre Pelletier-Normand explained that the company is refocusing on Angry Birds and Sonic games, and will continue to pick new projects carefully.
