We just can’t escape this topic in the video game industry. Layoffs have been rampant for a good while now. Several studios were chopping down jobs left and right. There’s an uneasy feeling among employees that, at any moment, their job might be next. It’s not a great time right now for job security in the industry, and it’s horrible to say, but it looks like another batch of jobs has been cut down this time at Blizzard Entertainment.
We’re getting a report from Insider Gaming, which credits the Irish Examiner for the latest dreary news. Blizzard Entertainment plans to cut 136 jobs at their offices in Cork, Ireland. We don’t have any insight into what particular positions were cut. Still, if reports are accurate, then there are only 200 people who are employed at this office location to begin with. So, we’re looking at a massive downsize for this particular location.
Again, this is nothing new for the games industry right now, as job losses, game cancellations, and even studio shutdowns have been occurring somewhat regularly. That’s a feeling going on across the board, and we’re always hopeful that we will see a change that will turn things around. However, at the very least, we know that another batch of jobs is being cut from under Microsoft. Not long ago, we even saw the FTC regulator comment on Microsoft’s last mass layoffs shortly after acquiring Activision Blizzard.
Microsoft also just had its business update event. That video upload had a moment where Phil Spencer touched on how the industry, including themselves, is experiencing job losses. But the folks over at Xbox are striving to push growth in new ways. This includes the push for more players on Xbox Game Pass but also confirmation that more hardware is coming. We got a slight tease that next-gen hardware is striving to make a giant leap for gamers and that we will see some kind of hardware announcement this holiday season. It won’t likely be the next-gen hardware reveal, but rumors in the past suggested Microsoft was interested in bringing out a handheld device.
Again, writing articles regarding more job losses within the industry is still frustrating. Hopefully, 2024 will see a better outlook on this, but right now, that’s certainly not happening. Instead, studios are trying to be a little more hesitant about the projects they take on and the resources being spent. For instance, just yesterday, Bandai Namco reportedly killed off five of their game projects with the announcement of making quality control far stricter.
