The team behind Electronic Arts-published early access skateboarding game Skate have announced that they’re laying off an unspecified number of staff. Well, I say that, Full Circle have actually announced that they’re “transforming as a studio”, which happens to entail “making changes to our team structure” which impact some folks’ jobs.

“We’re reshaping Full Circle to better support Skate’s long-term future and focus the team on the things that matter most to you – and making those things great,” is another way they put it in a short blog post. As for the affected devs, the studio noted that they’re “talented colleagues and friends who helped build the foundation of Skate”, adding that “this decision is not a reflection of their impact and we’re committed to supporting them through this transition.”

As for Skate, which only arrived in early access as of September last year, the plan is for the remaining staff to keep on grinding, while being able to “move faster, listen more closely, and deliver consistently”. How having less hands on deck is supposed to make any of that easier, I don’t know.

In their most recent update on plans for the game, put out late last week, Full Circle announced that they’ll be changing how they present info about when new additions are coming – making clear which ones are actively in development and which are just being loosely explored/discussed with no set timeline for arrival.

“We’re doing this to be clear about where things stand – and about how we work,” the studio wrote. “The further out something is on the roadmap, the more room it has to shift, or sometimes, be shelved altogether. But we’d rather show you what we’re thinking, even while it’s shifting, than wait until everything is locked. That’s how we want to approach Early Access with you. For example, Open World Collection was on the last roadmap. We’ve taken it off for now so we can focus on more social features – specifically Meetups and Turn-Based Competitive Modes – which we know are high on your wishlist.”

Solidarity to those affected by these layoffs at Full Circle. If you’re looking for an interesting read about Skate, J.C. Rodriguez’s feature from November about the game and where it sits in the wider landscape of skateboarding culture is well worth a look.