Rumors by their very nature are prone to inaccuracies. But when people hear from people hear from other people that a studio is going to close, it isn't a laughing matter. Stocks are sold, more people lose their jobs, and everyone just gets grumpy. Over the last few hours, reports have been circulating that NCsoft Austin is closing its doors, but apparently that's not the case.

David Swofford, the Director of Public Relations for NCsoft North America, sent the Ten Ton Hammer staff a very succinct statement issuing NCsoft's official response to the various reports. Here's what David had to say:

We are announcing that 21 positions are being eliminated in the Austin office of NCsoft in the area of product development. Primarily this is related to products which we have not previously announced and were in prototype phases. We are also cutting some positions on the Dungeon Runners team after deciding not to port the client to other platforms at this time.

So let's make sure we cover all the bases. Dungeon Runners isn't being canned. Tabula Rasa isn't moving to Seattle. The majority of the employees that were laid off were working on unannounced titles (like Scott Jennings). What does that amount to for the average gamer? From what we can tell, not a lot. Lineage, Lineage II, Dungeon Runners, and Tabula Rasa all have enough staff to continue running without a hiccup.

For those 21 people that lost their jobs at NCsoft Austin, we wish you the best of luck and hope that you can get back on your feet soon. For everyone else that is still employed at the studio, keep producing solid MMOGs. You know that Ten Ton Hammer will be watching your boards, listening to your podcasts and playing your games.