ASTRONEER studio lays off more than 30 staff after STARSEEKER struggles

System Era Softworks, the Seattle studio behind ASTRONEER, says it has laid off more than 30 staff as it scales back after STARSEEKER: Astroneer Expeditions fell short of expectations. The studio says affected workers will receive severance and support. ¹²

What happened

The studio announced the cuts on 23 October, with roles affected across art, design, engineering, production, writing and quality assurance. System Era says the decision will reduce the team to a size that can be supported by the current player base, rather than ending development. ¹

The announcement follows an explanation from marketing director Joe Tirado, who said STARSEEKER has attracted hundreds of thousands of players but has not performed as strongly as the studio expected. The game launched into early access in June and remains available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2, as well as through PC and Xbox Game Pass. ¹³

What happens next

System Era has not shared a new roadmap yet, but says more information is coming soon. It also says internal discussions about the studio’s direction in 2027 have begun, while the team continues working towards a sustainable 1.0 release for STARSEEKER. ¹

The cuts underline the difficult economics of supporting a multiplayer game in early access: a launch can attract a substantial audience without generating enough momentum to sustain the team hired for it. System Era’s stated plan is therefore a reduction in scale, not a cancellation.

Our opinion

The important distinction here is that STARSEEKER is not being abandoned. Players should expect a smaller team and potentially a slower roadmap, but the studio’s decision to keep development going gives the game a chance to respond to its early-access reception rather than disappearing after a disappointing start.

Sources ¹²³