--- title: "Project Motor Racing Developer Lays Off Staff After Sloppy Launch" description: "*Project Motor Racing* developer Straight4 Studios announced Monday that it is laying off an unspecified number of developers in the wake of the game's [official (and borderline disastrous) launch](), while simultaneously assuring the community that it intends to address its…" date: "2025-12-08" modified: "2025-12-08" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/project-motor-racing-developer-lays-off-staff-after-sloppy-launch" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # Project Motor Racing Developer Lays Off Staff After Sloppy Launch ![Starting a race in Project Motor Racing where the player's Mustang is missing a rear bumper and its rear wing is improperly positioned]() *\The Drive\* *Project Motor Racing* developer Straight4 Studios announced Monday that it is laying off an unspecified number of developers in the wake of the game's [official (and borderline disastrous) launch](), while simultaneously assuring the community that it intends to address its many flaws in coming updates. "Today, Straight4 is sharing news we had hoped never to deliver," Straight4 posted to social media Monday morning. "After exploring every possible alternative, late last week, we reached the heartbreaking conclusion that we had to reduce the size of our team." "This decision is not a reflection of the talent or dedication of the people affected," Straight4 continued. "Every individual who worked on Project Motor Racing poured passion into it, and we are profoundly grateful for their contributions. We recognize the personal weight of this moment, and we are committed to supporting each departing team member with care and respect." https://twitter.com/projectmracing/status/1998048675504009575 The post went on to discuss "the path ahead," promising that the team is focused on "rebuilding trust by strengthening the game" with a series of updates to address its many launch build flaws. Our own Adam Ismail experienced several show-shopping faults with the game on both PC and PS5. The former was a bug-riddled mess that occasionally bordered on unplayable, before a subsequent patch and some tweaking to the display options. Even notwithstanding these fundamental blockers, he found the actual core racing experience lacking (and the off-grid components borderline nonexistent). On spec, it's not unusual for studios to lay off or shift staff around after releasing a title, before there's another project to work on. But given the game's incomplete state, headcount reductions seem premature, which could be indicative of the studio cutting its losses in the wake of a disappointing launch. At this point, all we can do is wait and see. *Got a news tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com!* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()