Schell Games laid off approximately 14 employees on a Friday in late August 2026, the first redundancies in the Pittsburgh-based studio's 24-year history. The cuts hit the marketing, art, design, and visual effects departments of the developer behind the I Expect You to Die series and Among Us 3D, the latter co-developed with Innersloth.

Why does this round stand out?

Schell Games had never previously cut staff. Founder and CEO Jesse Schell built a public reputation around that practice, framing employment stability as a core studio value during a multi-year stretch of industry contraction. The studio's LinkedIn profile lists headcount between 51 and 200, making 14 a visible but not catastrophic reduction.

The developer joins a wider list of small and mid-size studios trimming payroll in 2026. Industry trackers put the year's total above 14,000 job losses. That's No Moon cut 14 jobs earlier in August during development of its debut title Crossfire.

How did the news surface?

Confirmation arrived through LinkedIn, not press. Schell Games' principal engineering manager posted first, writing: "Schell Games had their first-ever layoffs today." The manager added they personally had not been let go, then described the games industry as going through a difficult stretch and expressed sorrow for affected coworkers.

Marketing director Dwayne Waite Jr. confirmed separately that marketing was affected, naming four employees who lost their roles. The senior public relations manager followed with names spanning art, design, and VFX, with most listing August 2026 as their exit date.

Who has spoken publicly?

The senior public relations manager wrote: "I won't pretend this isn't a disappointing way to end this chapter." They added they were leaving proud of work built across almost six years. Schell Games has not issued a public statement on the round, and Jesse Schell has not personally commented. The studio did not respond to requests for comment by publication.

What did Jesse Schell say about layoffs before?

In a 2024 interview, Schell argued that losing a team member costs a studio more than their individual skill set, citing collective experience accumulated over years. He described the studio's approach as taking on financial risk when releasing a game, while rejecting the use of headcount as a buffer against that risk. That position has now shifted.

What changes for the studio?

The cuts remove capacity across four disciplines at a studio known for VR and licensed work. I Expect You to Die 3: Cog in the Machine sits in the publisher pipeline, and Among Us 3D continues to ship content with Innersloth. Operationally, the reductions raise questions about project pipeline, marketing throughput for upcoming releases, and how the studio reconciles its stated no-layoff philosophy with current cost pressure. Whether Schell addresses the round publicly, and whether additional cuts follow before year-end, are the signals worth watching.