H1Z1 Developer Confirms Staff Layoffs, Addresses Ownership Rumors

The developers of H1Z1 known as Daybreak Game Company has confirmed that some of its staff has been laid off shortly following the battle royale game's move to free-to-play.

Daybreak issued a statement (via PC Gamer) confirming the layoffs earlier in the week and said that the company is "realigning" its workforce to prepare for the future and reaffirmed its commitment to create "large-scale online games."

"Daybreak confirms we are realigning our workforce to better position our company for the future. Because of this, we have had to make an extremely difficult decision to part ways with some of our employees across various disciplines at the studio. We are doing everything we can to take care of each affected individual by providing them appropriate transition assistance," Daybreak's statement said.

"Daybreak remains focused on publishing and developing large-scale online games and will continue to service our existing and long-standing games and franchises."

After what would already be an eventful week on its own with the layoffs, Daybreak also issued another statement earlier in the week regarding the ownership of the company. This week, the U.S. froze assets of Russian oligarchs that were said to be responsible for interfering in the 2016 election. One businessman who was affected by this is the owner of Renova Group, a subsidiary of Columbus Nova, a company that many believed owned Daybreak. Daybreak's statement seen in full below attempts to clear up any confusion about who owns the company.

"There has been some confusion concerning Daybreak's ownership and rumors about the state of the company that have circulated from a few online game websites, and we want to set the record straight. We assure you that these rumors are entirely false and that there's no impact on our business or games in any way whatsoever.

"From the get-go, Daybreak has been primarily owned by Jason Epstein, a longtime investor who also has investments in a variety of media properties. Jason acquired Daybreak (formerly SOE) in February 2015 and has been the executive chairman and majority owner of the company since that time.

"We're well aware of prior statements from Daybreak indicating our company was acquired by Columbus Nova. We have since clarified that the company was acquired by Jason Epstein when he was a partner at Columbus Nova, which he left in 2017. We've also taken steps to clarify those facts on our website and on third-party internet sites to ensure that all of the information currently made available is consistent and accurate.

"We apologize for the previous miscommunication and hope that this clears up any confusion. As always, we greatly appreciate your continued support for our games, and we'll continue to work hard to bring the best experiences to you."