Amazon’s King of Meat Studio Glowmade Faces Major Layoffs After Shockingly Poor Game Launch
In a surprising turn of events, Glowmade, the developer behind Amazon Games’ King of Meat, has announced that several of its team members will be laid off in January 2026.
This decision comes on the heels of what insiders described as a 'catastrophic launch' of King of Meat, a game that reportedly fell far short of the studio’s own expectations. Sources speaking to Insider Gaming revealed that leadership had set an ambitious target: they hoped for at least 100,000 concurrent players. But here’s where it gets shocking—the game never consistently reached 1,000 players across any platform. SteamDB (https://steamdb.info/app/1926980/charts/) shows a peak of just 320 concurrent players.
This poor performance is particularly striking considering the massive marketing push behind the title. The campaign reportedly cost millions and included a custom video produced by MrBeast's Gaming YouTube channel, featuring a unique set and collaboration with dozens of content creators. Additionally, marketing efforts extended offline with custom-wrapped buses in London and even a pilot episode for an animated TV show based on the game.
According to sources, Glowmade began internal talks about voluntary redundancies earlier this month, affecting roughly a dozen staff members. Employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Insider Gaming that these layoffs came despite prior assurances from management that the studio had sufficient resources to continue operating. The sudden shift has left many within the company both surprised and concerned about the studio’s future.
At this time, it remains unclear what Glowmade plans next for King of Meat or any other upcoming projects.
If you’re a developer at Glowmade and wish to share more details about the studio’s internal challenges, you can contact me securely and anonymously at emailprotected.
And for those who missed it, check out the New Resident Evil Requiem gameplay reveal, shown exclusively in Japan, which unveils exciting new locations (https://insider-gaming.com/new-resident-evil-requiem-gameplay-shown-exclusively-in-japan-reveals-new-location/).
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