Trouble at 5th Cell As Scribblenauts: Fighting Words Cancelled

The latest entry in the Scribblenauts franchise has been cancelled by Warner Brothers, leading to fears that the company may be about to close down. The company issued a press statement via tech website Polygon, stating:

"Unfortunately, due to a project cancellation, we have had to let go of 45 of our very talented staff members today.

Layoffs aren't something we take lightly and we'd like to thank all our employees for all the hard work and dedication over the years.

5TH Cell as a company is not closing down, but our focus right now is 100% on helping our staff make the transition to other external opportunities."

Lead Animator for the game, Tim Borrelli, expressed his sadness on twitter in the only way you would expect from an artist, with an artistic photograph:

RIP 5TH Cell. If anyone is looking for kickass artists, programmers, designers, QA, IT, and more, let me know. pic.twitter.com/xwMZVF76Wb

— Tim Borrelli (@Anim8der) 21 March 2016

There might be some light at the end of the tunnel for those affected though. After his empassioned plea on twitter, the animator was inundated with offers for himself and his staff from huge swathes of big names in gaming, including Ubisoft, Naughty Dog and Firaxis.

This is the latest in a number of high-profile layoffs in the gaming industry, with a number of studios struggling in 2016. With Microsoft closing two studios and troubles at Motiga and Arcen this year already, it has been a turbulent year for some in the gaming industry. Here's hoping that all those affected are able to find an alternative role very soon.