Tripwire Interactive, the developer of Killing Floor 3, has laid off 36 employees in its second round of staff cuts in 2026. The redundancies follow an expansion of the company's Tripwire Presents publishing division.
The earlier round took place on March 4 and affected 23 employees, bringing the number of positions lost across the two rounds to 59.
An estimated 40 to 50 employees remain at the studio following the latest layoffs.
Tripwire described the departing employees as “truly great people who are exceptional at their roles” and pledged to help them through the transition with “compassion and dignity.”
Killing Floor 3 launched in July 2025. The six-player cooperative shooter centers on fighting waves of bioengineered monsters with customizable weapons and tactical teamwork.
Killing Floor 3 weapon customization
Publishing expansion preceded the cuts
Tripwire Presents announced its expansion on November 4, less than a week before the latest layoffs became public. The initiative adds scaled publishing support for smaller independent developers, including games their creators publish themselves.
Publishing director Bryan West described the intended partners as “scrappy developers” who could use assistance in specific areas. The approach lets developers use a variable set of publishing services.
The expanded support is intended to give self-published indie titles greater visibility. The first five games selected for the initiative are:
- The Boss Gangster: Criminal Empire
- Starforged Legacy
- Mars Attracts
- One-Eyed Likho
- Eslabong
Tripwire Presents is proceeding with those expanded publishing plans following the studio's workforce reduction.
