Azra Games lays off staff two years after raising $42 million
Azra Games, the studio led by Mark Otero, former general manager of EA Capital Games and BioWare, is laying off staff less than two years after raising a $42 million investment.
The studio confirmed the news in a statement sent to Game Developer: “Azra Games is reducing the size of its team,” it reads. “The studio’s staffing levels were aligned with a heavy production phase and are now shifting to a more focused period of device expansion, optimization, and polish.”
Otero founded Azra Games in 2022, initially raising $15 million in seed funding to create “best-in-class” collectible and combat RPGs that leverage blockchain technology. Then, in 2024, the studio received a $42 million investment through its oversubscribed Series A round (via PocketGamerBiz).
Throughout this time, the studio has been working on UnGodly, which opened pre-registrations in late May. As per Azra’s statement, the remaining team will continue working on the development, with a “focus on meeting the studio’s standards for quality and sustainable monetization.”
“To those leaving Azra Games, thank you,” continues the statement. “You have done meaningful work here and contributed to what UnGodly can become.”
Last week, a senior QA analyst at the studio said on LinkedIn that they were “laid off unexpectedly” after nearly two and a half years with the studio. Yesterday, a senior concept artist said their role was “eliminated.”
“All of our funding rounds have been oversubscribed, and our primary investors from our first seed round have re-invested in every successive round because they’re excited about what we’re building and the progress we’ve made,” Otero told PocketGamerBiz in 2024. “We take this as a strong signal that we’re on the right track and building something really unique and special.”
Last year, during devcom developer conference at Gamescom, Otero said that “mobile is going to eat and destroy PC and console gaming.” Meanwhile, UnGodly is slated to launch on both mobile and PC.
