Gaming Microsoft Lays Off 1,900 Video Games workforce. Blizzard President Mike Ybarra Is Departing Microsoft, Unannounced Survival Game Has Been Cancelled

[tom_mai78101]

Microsoft is laying off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week. While Microsoft is primarily laying off roles at Activision Blizzard, some Xbox and ZeniMax employees will also be impacted by the cuts.

The cuts work out to roughly 8 percent of the overall Microsoft Gaming division that stands at around 22,000 employees in total. The Verge has obtained an internal memo from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer that confirms the layoffs:

It’s been a little over three months since the Activision, Blizzard, and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.

As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team. The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as thoughtfully as possible. The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here. We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws. Those whose roles will be impacted will be notified, and we ask that you please treat your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that is consistent with our values.

Looking ahead, we’ll continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. Although this is a difficult moment for our team, I’m as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together.
Phil

Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees

The cuts primarily affect Activision Blizzard employees.

www.theverge.com

 

[The Helper]

Update: CWA says Microsoft and Activision Blizzard layoffs didn't impact union members

"Your livelihood is not protected without a voice on the job."

Update: Former Blizzard Entertainment VFX artist Rachel Quitevis has informed Game Developer they were laid off by Microsoft despite being a CWA union member. Earlier today, the CWA told Game Developer the layoffs "do not impact workers represented by CWA." Quitevis, however, refutes that statement.

Game Developer has reached out to the CWA for comment.

Original story: The Communications Workers of America (CWA) labor union says none of its members were impacted by the seismic layoffs at Microsoft and Activision Blizzard.

The CWA currently represents hundreds of employees across the newly-merged conglomerate within subsidiaries like ZeniMax Studios, Raven Software, and Blizzard Albany.

In a statement sent to Game Developer, the union implored workers across the game industry to organize and ensure they can influence the nature of redundancy.

"Microsoft's announcement that it will be laying off 1,900 video game workers makes clear that, even when you work at a successful company in an extremely profitable industry, your livelihood is not protected without a voice on the job," said a CWA spokesperson.

Update: CWA says Microsoft layoffs didn't impact the developers it represents

"As we said in our original statement, CWA-represented members at Microsoft were not included in the announced layoffs."

www.gamedeveloper.com