Rumor: More layoffs at Mythic, senior designers affected [update]

Joystiq has learned from several well-placed sources that a second round -- a much more serious round -- of layoffs has struck Mythic Entertainment. These cuts go further and deeper than the last round, which saw several members of the support staff let go. Current estimates indicate that between 60 and 130 people have been let go. These layoffs most certainly affect the development staff, and we've been told extend even to the ranks of senior designers. These rumored layoffs come less than a week after the announcement of a full-scale live event expansion for Warhammer Online.

We've contacted EA for a statement and are awaiting a response. The publisher stated yesterday that it had increased its number of planned layoffs. If you're one of those who Mythic let go, please feel free to contact us.

Update: We've placed EA's statement after the break.

[Thanks to Massively for the assist.]

EA's statement:
"Mythic has always been committed to maintaining a high level of development and customer service to MMO players. In regards to rumors of staffing reductions today, we want to provide more insights. Mythic is resizing the team to move from a pre-launch to a post-launch size and remains fully committed to maintaining the trust of the WAR players. In no way does this conflict with our commitment to customer service and upcoming content schedule for the game - we remain fully committed to creating and delivering the best WAR experience."