The video game industry is going through a very difficult situation as many companies are facing layoffs. Activision Blizzard has been suffering some major cutbacks, and now according to a new report, more than 100 layoffs could reach its Ireland-based branch.
There is no official confirmation, but the company is refusing to talk about it, and a lot of people are not happy about this information. The lack of communication does not cast Activision/Blizzard in a favorable light, and the company has already been under fire for its treatment of employees.
Activision Blizzard’s management decisions are in question
The gaming industry continues to be impacted by innumerable layoffs in various studios across the globe. Just in the first two months of 2024, the layoffs have exceeded the last year combined. It seems many companies are restructuring offices to balance the revenue lost oner titles that were not very successful.
And now, Activision Blizzard might be letting go of more than 100 employees, according to a report that was sent to the Irish government. The affected office is in Blackpool, Cork, Ireland, but offices in Dublin will apparently remain safe.
Thanks to Mick Barry from the People Before Profit organization, there is a push for Activision Blizzard to give up answers about these surprise layoffs. The Blackpool offices have more than 200 employees, and there could be at least 136 affected jobs from this new cut.
Barry declared the following:
Companies should not be allowed to waltz into this country, announce life-changing cutbacks to people’s jobs and simply refuse to talk to the representatives chosen by people.
For the moment, Activision/Blizzard has not addressed this issue.
What is going on in the gaming industry?
This seems to be a recurring decision in the last couple of months from different companies as they restructure and close entire studios for not being profitable.
These losses may be due in large part to poor handling of certain projects or IPs. One of the biggest layoffs the community has seen was with Embracer Group, which just closed up several studios that could not sell well or were just very poorly promoted.
Many developers are talking about not having any tasks given to them because work teams are very poorly managed. The big studios are not finding a way to improve the workflow and objectives of projects, so this ends up with a horrible result and players not liking the game.
AAA games or any title in the current state of the industry are very messy to launch and promote, and unfortunately risks taken by these large companies are negatively affecting the livelihoods of innocent developers.
What do you think about these new layoffs? Should Activision Blizzard be required to disclose its intended cutbacks? Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
