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Developer of Pokemon Go Niantic Lays Off 8% of Staff

The software developer is cutting almost 100 jobs and cancelling four projects.

Alix Langone Former Reporter
Alix is a former CNET Money staff writer. She also previously reported on retirement and investing for Money.com and was a staff writer at Time magazine. Her work has also appeared in various publications, such as Fortune, InStyle and Travel + Leisure, and she worked in social media and digital production at NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt and NY1. She graduated from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY and Villanova University. When not checking Twitter, Alix likes to hike, play tennis and watch her neighbors' dogs. Now based in Los Angeles, Alix doesn't miss the New York City subway one bit.
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A black iphone with Niantic logo on the screen
Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Image

Niantic Labs, known for creating the hit augmented reality game Pokemon Go, is laying off around 90 employees and cancelling four projects. 

The company confirmed the lay offs in a statement CNET, saying it "recently decided to stop production on some projects and reduce our workforce by about eight percent to focus on our key priorities. We are grateful for the contributions of those leaving Niantic and we are supporting them through this difficult transition." 

Niantic's CEO, John Hanke, said in an email to staff that the company was "facing a time of economic turmoil" and was making the cuts in order to navigate "any economic storms that may lie ahead," according to Bloomberg.

Niantic also said the decision will allow them to focus on their "most important priorities including Pokemon GO and a select set of new experiences, as well as the Lightship platform."

Despite the lay offs and cancelled projects, the company is still moving forward with a new augmented reality game in partnership with the NBA called NBA All-World, which was announced on Tuesday.