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| A screengrab of players breaching a vault in Den of Wolves |
The gleaming, neon-drenched skyline of the futuristic heist game Den of Wolves was supposed to be the next great adventure from the masters of the co-op genre. But for the studio building that world, reality has taken a dark turn. 10 Chambers Collective, the acclaimed Swedish developer behind the horror hit GTFO and founded by the creators of Payday, has been shaken by a second, brutal round of layoffs in just two years, leaving the future of their highly anticipated project in question.
Founded in 2015 by a team of industry veterans who defined the modern heist shooter with the Payday series, 10 Chambers quickly established itself as a studio unafraid of intense, cooperative challenges. Their first title, GTFO, was a brutal test of teamwork and communication, dropping players into dark, terrifying underground complexes. The gamble paid off. The co-op horror FPS was met with critical and commercial success, earning a "Very Positive" rating on Steam bolstered by over 54,000 positive reviews and cementing the studio's reputation for hardcore, squad-based gameplay .
All eyes have been on their next project since its announcement at The Game Awards in 2023. Titled Den of Wolves, the game represents a homecoming of sorts for the developers. It's an FPS co-op heist game, but with a twist. Set in a cyberpunk-tinged near-future on the artificial island of Midgard, players aren't just robbing banks; they are hired guns for megacorporations, pulling off missions of corporate espionage, sabotage, and assassination. The studio promised extreme coordination, a plethora of futuristic gadgets, and a return to the pulse-pounding, planning-intensive gameplay that made Payday a phenomenon.
"Den of Wolves' sci-fi themes and gameplay elements gave us the freedom to offer more variety in heists," the studio stated at the time, painting a picture of a dynamic and evolved take on the genre.
Fans, hungry for a spiritual successor to the Payday formula, eagerly tracked the game's progress. Development appeared to be proceeding smoothly until February 2024, when the studio confirmed its first round of layoffs, citing "changes to our organization." Just over two years later, history has repeated itself with far greater force.
A "Significant Restructuring"
In mid-February 2026, employees began posting on LinkedIn with the somber "#OpenToWork" banner, signaling that another wave of cuts had hit the studio. This time, the impact was seismic. A spokesperson for 10 Chambers confirmed the devastating news in a statement to Game Developer and other outlets, describing it as a "significant restructuring of the studio" .
"We can confirm that we’re taking a hard look at how we work and how the studio is set up, so Den of Wolves can become the game it deserves to be," the spokesperson said. "This unfortunately means a significant restructuring of the studio, impacting a large number of roles, including several of the studio’s co-founders."
The news sent shockwaves through the gaming community. The loss of co-founders is not a minor trim; it is a fundamental reshaping of the company's DNA. Among those affected was Hjalmar Vikström, a co-founder and the studio's chief development officer, who announced his departure on LinkedIn, stating his desire to focus on making "way smaller games" and prioritizing his health . While his post didn't explicitly link his exit to the layoffs, the timing was stark.
Other affected employees shared their stories online, providing a human face to the corporate restructuring. Lead programmer Krister Cederlund noted that following the "recent restructure," a wealth of talent was now on the market . Senior QA Tester Ronan Littleford posted about his unexpected departure after just over a year with the company.
"Howdy folks! 🤠 After just over a year working at 10 Chambers I find myself with this cool green border on my LinkedIn again!" Ronan Littleford wrote on LinkedIn. "I have 7 years experience in Games QA... Please do reach out if you have any opportunities for me, or if you'd just like to say Hi!"
His post is a poignant reminder of the human cost behind the industry's increasingly common headlines about layoffs.
A Vote of Confidence or a Cause for Concern?
Despite the bloodletting, the studio is trying to project an image of stability and focus. The spokesperson emphasized that key creative leads Ulf Andersson (co-founder and director) and Simon Viklund (writer and composer, known for his iconic Payday music) "remain fully committed to the game and to leading the studio forward" . For many fans, the presence of these two figures is crucial, as they are synonymous with the studio's creative soul.
The official statement framed the layoffs as a painful but necessary step to ensure the game's success, a stark contrast to the studio's previous ambition. Just last year, Ulf Andersson joked to the press that the studio had grown so much it should probably be renamed "110 Chambers" . Now, the name 10 Chambers feels heavy with irony as it shrinks back down.
For now, the future of Den of Wolves hangs in the balance. Information on a release date or even a substantial development update is scarce. The studio acknowledges this uncertainty. "When we have more concrete news to share, we’ll do it through our official channels," the spokesperson stated .
The layoffs at 10 Chambers are part of a grim, ongoing trend in the video game industry. While the studio claims this restructuring is for the game's benefit, losing a "large number" of staff, including founding members, is a bitter pill to swallow. It raises the inevitable question: can a game about coordinated, high-stakes heists survive when the team building it has been so thoroughly dismantled?
For now, fans of the genre are left waiting, hoping that Midgard hasn't been compromised before it even launched. While we wait for news on Den of Wolves, you can experience the studio's previous masterpiece of cooperative mayhem.
Buy Payday 2: The Big Score on Amazon here