Voodoo Extreme, Team Xbox culled, Future lays-off more

Future US staff have been culled in a wave of lay-offs, while IGN has scrapped two entire sites.

Future US has let 19 staff go, although its catalogue of brands remains stable, with no magazines falling by the wayside.

The publisher told Joystiq the cuts are part of its digital transition.

"Future US is currently working to reposition itself in the marketplace to transform the company from an old school publisher to a hybrid publisher," COO Rachelle Considine said.

"While many 'old school' publishing companies and outlets have folded completely, Future US is in process of retooling and reshaping the organization to succeed, and thrive in the digital era."

Meanwhile, one new school publisher has also had to tighten the belt. IGN member Voodoo Extreme has revealed that its entire staff budget has been cut "due to economic hardships".

Voodoo Extreme was founded in 1997 and acquired by IGN in 2003. Staff have been asked to stay on as volunteers.

"This is not goodbye, we are still going to do everything in our power to keep things going," co-editor-in-chief Sheila Lewis wrote.

The cuts apparently extend to other IGN sites, too, with Voodoo Extreme co-editor OhmWrecker tweeting that Team Xbox has suffered the same fate of total staff cut.

Gamespy was also reported to have been affected, but editor in chief Dan Stapleton contacted VG247 to say no staff cuts had been made.

Best of luck to all those affected.