Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees
The cuts primarily affect Activision Blizzard employees.
Just a reminder that the industry that is laying off thousands, is having one of the most profitable years ever. But if they think that they can make more money by firing thousands, thats exactly what theyll do.
i still remember the days where people were dreaming of become game developers. Being able to make a living by creating what you love the most.
Nowadays you are either an indie developer hoping to scrape enough by streaming on twitch and making devlogs on youtube, or you're in big industry and pray you're not part of the next big wave of layoffs....
It is how giant publishing houses self-destruct in the gaming space. They fail to realize how difficult it is to build up talented devteams. Everything becomes about maximizing profits in the end. Between the shitty monetization tactics and the terrible working environment they've created, they end up destroying their ability to make good games. I fully expect more mediocrity from Xbox/Activision-Blizzard, if not declining quality.
I think this has more to do with mergers and acquisitions than game development. When two companies merge certain administrative functions become redundant because the acquiring company already has that function. Doubt they actually fire any devs
This is what always happens when companies merge.
Greedy short-sighted execs strike again.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
While Microsoft is primarily laying off roles at Activision Blizzard, some Xbox and ZeniMax employees will also be impacted by the cuts.
His influence will be felt for years to come, both directly and indirectly as Allen plans to continue mentoring young designers across the industry,” says Booty.
Booty says Microsoft will be “shifting some of the people working on it to one of several promising new projects Blizzard has in the early stages of development.”
Microsoft completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October, following 20 months of battles with regulators in the UK and US.
Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick stepped down at the end of December, with Microsoft not appointing a direct replacement.
The software maker is due to report its fiscal Q2 2024 earnings next week, which, for the first time, will include results from the impact of the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
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