Gameloft closes Indian studio, 250 staff laid off - rumour

Mobile and portable publisher Gameloft has reportedly closed its Indian studio without warning.

Citing anonymous sources, Gamasutra reports management required employees of the Hyderabad studio to sign documents suggesting they had resigned voluntarily the day before.

Sources claim the 250 former staff members were advised of a company-wide meeting and 45 minutes later had been asked to leave the building and remove their possessions.

Gameloft today reported sales of €208.3 million for FY 2012, a year-on-year increase of 27%. Its full fiscal results will be released next month and may offer some explanation for why the port-focused studio was shuttered.

Gameloft makes mobile and portable games, and was founded by Ubisoft boss Michel Guillemot. It has a poor reputation for high pressure, low-cost development and quick knock-offs, but has produced some very popular titles like iOS MMORPG Order & Chaos.