Sony Pictures Imageworks will no longer have a presence in New Mexico after it was reported that the VFX studio is not renewing its lease on premises in Albuquerque this July.
The New Mexico facility was opened in 2007 and contributed to films such as The Smurfs and the upcoming Men In Black 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man.
The New Mexico Business Weekly reports, from advice from Sony officials, that “half of the current workforce was scheduled to complete its regular terms of employment at the end of current production. Of the remainder, most employees will be offered positions in Culver City or Vancouver, British Columbia, based on production needs.”
The news comes as game developer Activision Blizzard announced it will be cutting 600 staff. The company, which produces World of Warcraft and the Diablo and Starcraft series, said that the job losses would not affect game development and that 90% of the cuts would be from other departments. You can read more in this Wall Street Journal story.
It wasn’t all bad news on the jobs front today, as Pixomondo announced it would adding a twelfth facility to its worldwide operations by opening an office in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. That State has a well-known generous 30-35% tax incentive for film and television production.
Pixomondo, with offices already in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Berlin, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing, London, Munich, Burbank, Toronto, Hamburg, plans to employ 50-70 people at the Baton Rouge location beginning in May this year. The company was the lead effects house on VFX Oscar winner Hugo.