Asian Tech Press (Nov 29) -- U.S. video game engine provider Unity Software will lay off 265 employees, close offices in Singapore and 13 other locations.

Unity announced Tuesday that it is terminating the professional services portion of an agreement it reached in 2021 with Weta FX, the visual effects company founded by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson.

The 265 employees associated with the agreement will undergo layoffs, representing 3.8% of Unity's global workforce.

In addition, Unity will close offices in 14 locations, including Berlin and Singapore, and will significantly reduce office space in its remaining offices, including San Francisco and Bellevue, Washington.

Jim Whitehurst, Unity's interim CEO and president, said more changes are in store to refocus the company's business.

"While no additions have been finalized, it's clear that we will reduce the number of things we are doing overall," Whitehurst told Reuters.

In September, Unity announced its new pricing model, which caused confusion and anger among developers. After that, the company's then-CEO John Riccitiello left in October.