Sad news has been announced today by Sony Interactive Enterprises, as over 900 employees have been laid off from numerous PlayStation-based companies. Along with these layoffs, there are even studio closures that are affecting the gaming industry.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that the gaming industry has dealt with layoffs in recent months, and we can only hope that it is the last. What makes these layoffs even worse is the fact that for some employees, they aren’t just losing a job; they are losing their entire lives, all for the bottom line of a company they have spent years working for.
Along With the 900 Employees Who Have Lost Their Jobs, Entire Studios Like Playstation Studio’s London Studios Have Closed Down
According to the recent announcement from SIE, around 8%, or equal to 900 employees, are being reduced from the overall headcount globally for SIE. In terms of a worldwide company, this may not seem like a big number, but in the gaming industry, even losing 5 employees could mean the difference between a studio closing down or the failure of a company.
What makes this announcement so much worse is the fact that the London Studio for PlayStation Studio’s will now be shut down, costing hundreds of employees their jobs. So far, there hasn’t been an exact number released to the public about how many members of staff globally have been removed from each studio.
Some employees from the PlayStation Studio’s London Studio have already begun posting on Twitter/X explaining how much this decision from the CEOs will affect their lives, as there are those who were originally working in the London Studio on a work visa who could be at risk of even being deported if they cannot find another job quick enough.
This is a nightmare for a person with a work visa. My wife is also a dependent and will get fired because her visa will expire as well.
— Ataberk Ateş (@RedPhoenixTR) February 27, 2024
I have no idea what to do now. https://t.co/xRs1Uq1zfR
If this continues, we could be looking at dozens more studios around the world closing down along with the London Studio, but unfortunately, this is the ugliest side of the gaming industry, and it’s the everyday person, not the billionaire CEO, that suffers. It’s those people we feel sorry for.
Playstation and Xbox Aren’t the Only Companies Issuing These Massive Layoffs, and They Won’t Be the Last
When it comes to the gaming industry layoffs that are occurring more and more often over the past few months, we can only think about what is causing these layoffs and how major companies and studios like PlayStation, Xbox, Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and so many more are currently downsizing to fit the needs of the company rather than the needs of the staff.
As the gaming industry grows and gamers are looking for bigger and better experiences, each company has to work so much harder to bring gamers what they want rather than what is possible. This leads to companies spending millions on a game that could take years to develop and ultimately bomb due to gamers having a more refined palette these days.
This puts a lot of pressure on the gaming industry as a whole and will ultimately cause companies like PlayStation and Xbox to reduce their staff to make more money available, as it will attempt to pump that money into a project to attempt to improve it.
What do you think about these unfortunate layoffs within Sony Interactive Enterprises? What company do you think will have layoffs next? Let us know in the comments what you think!
