Layoffs in Games Industry
Tech Layoffs and Game layoffs have been happening a lot this year, its it ending?
The year has been bad with the new economic reality for the Tech Industry in general cutting the workforce, with Google, Microsoft, Amazon and meta laying off employees. Gaming has not been spared too and I see on X / Twitter the sadness from this stressful situation .
https://mondo.com/insights/mass-layoffs-in-2022-whats-next-for-employees/
The layoffs in Gaming seems to be affecting every company recently PlayStation Epic and other publishers have job cuts, though not surprising that companies are restructuring in an economic environment that is barely surviving and high inflation.
Belluar News taking about the massive layoffs lately.
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zZcdim0kxJI
What can one do about it?
Seeing the news it can be disheartening to see that the job you want to do with a game company laying off staff.
I can only speak and write from my own experience in a layoff from another industry. Sometimes switching industies might be a good change or double down on your skills and broaden your network.
Most importantly is not to give up. Wishing everyone the best of luck out there.
List of Companies Layoffs so far
A website has been tracking the layoffs at website by technical artist http://www.videogamelayoffs.com/ technical artist Farhan Noor.
some of the gaming companies from the extensive list
Paige Cook
Playstation Layoffs
Some of the layoffs were made known through LinkedIn from various staff.
Playstation Visual Arts Group
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/playstations-visual-arts-appears-to-have-suffered-layoffs/
Media molecule layoffs
Naughty Dog & Insomniac
Blizzard Layoffs & Ubisoft Layoffs
These two heavy weight AAA are not spare not sure if it’s due to the lackluster sales of Diable and Assassins Creed lately.
https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2023/09/29/ubisoft-blizzard-layoffs-september-2023/amp/
Epic Games layoffs
This one is big with many from various departments. I do think Epic expanded too fast going into a lawsuit And the epic games store.
https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/news/layoffs-at-epic
Cd projekt Red layoffs and they unionised
https://www.gameinformer.com/news/2023/10/09/cd-projekt-red-devs-form-union-following-layoffs
Sega cancelled game and layoffs at Creative Assembly
I did not knew about the cancelled game but looking at it I am not sure if it would have done well if launched.
https://kotaku.com/sega-cancels-games-hyenas-creative-assembly-ca-uk-1850882870
Hairbrain Scheme games layoffs
Looks like an indie company had to layoff some of its staff after the production of their strategy game lamplighters league. The game did poorly and Paradox Interactive had to
Microsoft Layoffs at 343 Industries
Ascendant Studios Layoffs
After publising the new independant AAA title Immortals of Aveum about 40 people were let go of the studio. Possible due to the title not doing so well.
Bungie Games Layoffs
Sony bought Bungie for 3.7 Billion with a 1.2 Billion Staff rentention fee. I guess Destiny 2 expansions and battle passes did not do so well.
https://x.com/jasonschreier/status/1719445792505647373?s=20
Jason Schreier Bloomberg Article on Bungie Layoffs
But on Monday morning the news got worse: Dozens of staffers woke up to mysterious 15-minute meetings that had been placed on their calendars, which they soon learned were part of a mass layoff. Bungie laid off around 8% of its employees, according to documentation reviewed by Bloomberg. Bungie didn’t respond to requests for comment. Employees who were let go will receive at least three months of severance and three months of Bungie-paid COBRA health insurance, although other benefits, such as expense reimbursements, ended Monday, sending some staff racing to submit their receipts.
Laid-off staffers will also receive prorated bonuses, although those who were on a vesting schedule following Sony Group Corp.’s acquisition of Bungie in January 2022 will lose any shares that weren’t vested as of next month.
The layoffs are part of a larger money-saving initiative at Sony’s PlayStation unit, which has also cut employees at studios such as Naughty Dog, Media Molecule and its San Mateo office.
AAA layoffs
nothing is certain in this industry. From tech changing and business model changes everything is in flux.
I feel if you are developer the best thing is to just make stuff.