According to an announcement issued today by Linden Lab, the company that controls the Second Life virtual environment, changes are afoot. Thirty percent of the company’s employees will be laid off as the company consolidates and closes its bureaus outside North America.
Linden Lab intends to move the Second Life environment to a browser- and mobile-based platform, obviating the need to download software. It will combine its product and engineering divisions. Future plans include migration to social networks, like Facebook.
In previous coverage, Tom Hale, chief product officer for Linden Lab, said user-to-user transactions in the immersive world spiked 30% over last year to $160 million, breaking all previous company records. Clearly this was not enough for Linden to feel comfortable with the future. Its assertion that it is restructuring to “generate efficiencies” (?) doesn’t really answer the question of why.
PaidContent pointed out that Linden Lab, “hasn’t raised outside cash since 2006. At least two of its backers have sold their stakes.”
Massively reported that the company’s Singapore office is being shut and its Germany head is leaving.
