[UPDATE] Sources say Junction Point staffers have been on paid leave for over one month with layoff news expected today; studio closed entirely.
[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, Disney confirmed the closure of Junction Point Studios.
The original story follows below.
Epic Mickey studio Junction Point may be in trouble. Multiple sources have confirmed to Kotaku that employees at the Austin, Texas-based studio have been on paid leave for more than a month now, with layoff news expected to be announced today.
Junction Point owner Disney has not yet commented on the rumor.
The news was sparked when Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts' studio Roberts Space Industries tweeted that Junction Point would be shut down entirely. The tweet has since been removed, with the company saying it has "no inside info on their status."
Industry veteran George Broussard also commented on the matter, saying, "The Junction Point rumors have been circulating a while. Warning signs when you give employees two months off after shipping."
Junction Point shipped Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two in November. The game was not a critical or commercial success for Disney, recording mediocre review scores and reportedly selling 270,000 copies in the United States by the end of 2012.
The Austin, Texas, development scene has been in the spotlight of late. After finding no bidder in THQ's bankruptcy auction last week, Vigil Games was dissolved. Thirty-five of the Darksiders studio's employees, including cofounder David Adams, are now working at Crytek USA Corp. in Austin, Texas, which opened yesterday.
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