Gree lay-offs strike San Francisco office, 30 jobs reportedly lost

Social and mobile publisher Gree has confirmed a series of lay-offs, with reports suggesting as many as 30 staff were made redundant.

GamesIndustry cites anonymous sources for word that 30 jobs were cut. In a statement provided to press, Gree International boss Anil Dharni did not give any indication of how many employees were affected by the cuts.

"We have recently aligned GREE's US studio to focus on creating the next generation of mobile social games. This shift in focus has been clearly demonstrated by the success and growth of our games," he said.

"As part of ensuring that we are operating as efficiently as possible, we have made the difficult decision to reduce our work force. The employees leaving today have made great contributions to our success and we wish them all the best."

It's the second round of lay-offs at Gree's US arm in six months; in December, the company closed mobile platform OpenFeint, letting 25 employees go.

Gree is best known in business circles as the originator of the eponymous Japanese social network, but its gaining ground in the west as a mobile developer and publisher, much like rivals Mobage and Zynga. One of its better known Japanese efforts is Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops.

Thanks, Destructoid.