Gamasutra reports 15 layoffs at Blue Fang Games, which represents about a quarter of the workforce at the Waltham, MA-based developer of the Zoo Tycoon series, commenting: "While we are saddened beyond words that we cannot continue to employ these talented individuals, we are also confident and excited about our studio’s future." Blue Fang says new proprietary development tools have enhanced their productivity: "While this provides a tremendous benefit to our overall business, it unavoidably means we needed to adjust both the size and mix of our development team going forward," Blue Fang president Hank Howie tells Gamasutra. "With today’s staff reductions, we have made these necessary team adjustments." The developer continues to work on World of Zoo, their recently announced youth-oriented zoology game.