Microsoft ontslaat 1900 werknemers van de game divisie

Dorian de la Fosse | donderdag 25 Jan 2024, 15:58

Het viel te verwachten, maar is alsnog zuur voor de getroffen werknemers.

Uit een intern bericht van Phil Spencer, in handen van IGN, blijkt dat er 1900 banen verloren gaan bij Activision-Blizzard, Xbox en Bethesda. In totaal werken er zo'n 22000 mensen voor de gaming divisie.

De reden voor dit besluit heeft voornamelijk te maken met de overname van Activision-Blizzard drie maanden geleden. Door de overname zijn een groot aantal functies overbodig geworden en Microsoft haalt nu de bezem door de gehele game divisie. Dit is het volledige bericht:

“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 1,900 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.”

In navolging van dit bericht heeft Blizzard Entertainment directeur Mike Ybarra ook aangegeven zijn functie neer te leggen. Dit liet hij weten via Twitter/X:

 

2023 was ook al een zwaar jaar voor de ontwikkelaars en deze trend lijkt zich door te zetten in 2024. Zo werd eerder aangekondigd dat Unity ongeveer 1800 medewerkers ontslaat dat Riot Games 530 mensen ontslaat, Embracer een aanzienlijk gedeelte van Gearbox-studio Lost Boys Interactive ontslaat en dat een derde van alle werknemers bij Surgeon Simulator-ontwikkelaar Bossa Studios is ontslagen.