Just when we thought the saga of layoffs and departures were coming to an end, we're now receiving word (via IGN) that Sony Santa Monica has recently lost one more talent: Stig Asmussen.
Sources spoke to IGN to confirm Asmussen's departure from the company that he has worked for since 2003, first as an environmental artist on God of War, then as Art Director on its sequel, and as Creative Director on the third. Sony confirmed with the site, revealing that he has indeed left the company.
Last month it was revealed that layoffs hit the Santa Monica studio behind the God of War series. Reports suggested that up to fifty people were let go from the company that once housed over 200 employees.
Among the layoffs, there was word that the studio's unannounced IP was canceled. According to Jonathan Hawkins, former lead level-designer at Sony Santa Monica Studios, the unannounced game was to be directed by Asmussen. Alleged to be an open world sci-fi game written by "Battlestar Galactica" writer Michael Angeli, the game was supposedly in development since God of War 3.
Asmssen's departure makes a lot of sense if all of the work he put into a project became null and void. That has to hurt a lot. There's no word if Asmussen left before or after the layoffs, and IGN have reached out for his comment. It's rumored he's currently interviewing with other studios for new places of employment.
Here's hoping Asmussen quickly finds a place to lend his talents.
