By James Calloway

Norwegian developer Funcom has begun a restructuring process that will see an unknown number of staff laid off, following a strategic decision to focus solely on live operations for its two flagship titles, Conan Exiles and Dune: Awakening.

The company confirmed the pivot in a statement that gave no headcount figure for the affected employees. The move concentrates Funcom's development resources on the ongoing operation of its survival game Conan Exiles and its 2025 release Dune: Awakening, the open-world survival title set on Arrakis.

Who is leaving the company?

The restructuring extends to the top of the organization. CEO Rui Casais will leave Funcom at the end of the year, ending an 11-year tenure that included the company's 2020 acquisition by Tencent.

Chief Product Officer Scott Junior will succeed Casais as chief executive. The handover places Funcom's product leadership in charge of a portfolio that now consists entirely of live-service operations.

What changes for the studio?

Funcom's decision narrows its output to two products:

• Conan Exiles, the survival game that has anchored the studio's live operations since its 2018 full release
• Dune: Awakening, the Arrakis-set survival title whose creative direction has emphasized stylized aesthetics over photorealism

The restructuring implies the end of active development on any other projects at the studio. Live operations — the ongoing content updates, monetization and community management that sustain released titles — become the entirety of Funcom's business.

The number of layoffs remains undisclosed. Funcom has not stated which departments the cuts will affect, nor whether any projects beyond the two named games have been cancelled outright.

What to watch

Casais departs at the end of the year, and the market signal worth tracking is whether Junior's Funcom can sustain two live-service economies on a reduced headcount — or whether further cuts follow once the transition completes.