Massive layoffs have reportedly affected MMO developer Trion Worlds today, the studio behind MMOs like Rift and most recently Atlas Reactor. Reports indicate that the company slashed its staff across its U.S.-based studios to only 25 people from a previous 200.

The layoffs come as a result of an acquisition from the German Gamigo group, which publishes a number of casual and MMO titles in its portfolio. This transaction of Trion Worlds and its games created what appear to be a significant number of redundancies with Gamigo, resulting in an incredibly severe reduction in staff.

While we reached out to Trion Worlds this morning for confirmation and comment, they did not reply. They did tell Gamasutra, however, that many names remain and confirmed the layoffs, but did not mention the number. Gamasutra's sources reported the reduction to 25 employees.

If accurate, that means that since September of this year, between Capcom Vancouver, Carbine Studios, Telltale, and Trion Worlds, an estimated 725 employees have been laid off or otherwise had their studio closed within the game industry.

Our thoughts and best wishes go with everyone affected by these layoffs.

[Source: Gamasutra]