A post on the Australian Kotaku site from yesterday revealed that Sega’s Australian studio has laid off 37 staff members, nearly half of its 80 person workforce.

The statement that Sega e-mailed to Kotaku is reposted below:

“As SEGA Studios Australia nears completion of London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games, it is essential to look to the future and take steps to ensure long-term growth and success. The rise of digital gaming provides an opportunity to align the studio with a rapidly growing market at a time when the games industry is undergoing a significant transition. To this end, we can confirm that SSA has signed a multi-product deal focusing across the digital marketplace. We have commenced development on these titles and will announce more details in the near future.

“As part of this focus on digital avenues, there is a requirement to re-structure the studio resources accordingly and regrettably, we are announcing the loss of 37 staff. The decision to downsize was not taken lightly but this strategic re-structure will ensure we have a more effective and agile team that will enable us to quickly adapt to consumer needs and deliver strong content across multiple digital platforms. We thank those team members affected for their contributions and wish them well in their future endeavors. We are very confident that their efforts on London 2012 will help us deliver the highest quality official Olympic video game to date.”

Now, not to kick a man when he’s down or anything, but Sega was behind the pretty abysmal Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The title that’s mentioned in the above statement, however, seems to be a different title altogether, and it’s not totally clear what role, if any, the Australian studio had in the Mario and Sonic-themed atrocity. But regardless, I have a feeling that the 37 people who were laid off feel pretty lousy about Sega in general today.

This news comes on the heels of layoffs at THQ and at Eat Sleep Play. Needless to say, early 2012 it’s not a good time to work in the gaming industry, it seems.

Our condolences to everyone affected by these cuts.

Via Kotaku