Earlier today the rumor mill started cranking out that some staff have been let go.  A former PR person with some knowledge about the situation commented earlier via a private tweet:

Pouring one out for the Perfect World Entertainment folks getting the hammer drop. You guys are amazing and talented people.

— Ben PerLee (@BenPerLee) March 16, 2015

MMORPG.com added fuel to that fire by confirming the tweet was indeed real.

Given that PWE reported in last quarters financial updates that the US division wasn’t performing to expectations, it’s not surprising that some downsizing is happening.

This evening we saw some further changes in the form of unusual circumstantial evidence that STO may have been impacted by the cuts.  @PWECaptainSmirk, our Lego-loving community manager has had a Twitter makeover, and is now @TheCaptainSmirk.  The Good Captain is leaving in a few weeks on a vacation with his boyfriend, and all evidence of his relationship with PWE is vaguely absent.

Reading between the lines:

At the moment – we don’t really know anything.  Cryptic will never comment publicly on personnel issues, nor will any former staff members who may or may not have been downsized.  It’s not in their interests.