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At the beginning of the year, Unity Technologies, Twitch, Playtika, and Discord each announced separate layoffs affecting 1,800, 500, 400, and 170 jobs, respectively.
[8][83][84][85] Unity attributed its layoffs to a restructuring aimed at refocusing on its core business for long-term profitability.
[8] Twitch's CEO mentioned that despite paying out over $1 billion to streamers the previous year, the company's size didn't align with its growth trajectory.
[83]
On January 22, 2024,
Riot Games announced a significant restructuring, leading to the layoff of 530 employees, which accounts for about 11% of the company's total workforce. The company also shut down Riot Games' indie publishing label, Riot Forge. The decision was made as part of Riot's strategy to refocus on fewer, high-impact projects, aiming for a more sustainable future.
[86]
On January 25, 2024,
Microsoft Gaming underwent a substantial restructuring, resulting in the layoff of 1,900 staff. Additionally, the President of Blizzard Entertainment, Mike Ybarra, and Blizzard's co-founder and chief design officer, Allen Adham, departed from the company. As part of the restructuring, Microsoft Gaming canceled Blizzard Entertainment's game
Project Odyssey and laid off major teams working on
Overwatch 2.
[7] Microsoft Gaming Studios such as
Toys for Bob and
Sledgehammer Games reportedly experienced a loss of over 30% of their staff due to layoffs. The majority of those laid off were from
Activision Blizzard.
[87][88]
On January 29, 2024,
Eidos-Montréal laid off around 97 staff members as part of the ongoing restructuring within the Embracer Group. Additionally, the company reportedly canceled its new
Deus Ex game, which had reportedly been in development for two years. Eidos-Montréal cited the global economic context, industry challenges, and the comprehensive restructuring announced by Embracer as reasons for the impact on their studio.
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Februaryedit
On February 27, 2024,
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced the layoff of 900 employees across various studios. The company attributed the decision to restructure operations in response to the evolving economic landscape and changes in product development, distribution, and launch strategies. Layoff timelines will vary by location. Additionally, PlayStation's London Studio will be closed entirely.
[9]
On February 28, 2024,
Electronic Arts (EA) announced the layoff of 670 staff members. EA's CEO, Andrew Wilson, outlined the company's focus on owned IP, sports, and massive online communities as part of its business advancement. Additionally, EA shut down Ridgeline Games and canceled a
Star Wars single player game developed by Respawn Entertainment.
[90][91] These cuts included 23 jobs at Respawn that were announced in March 2024.
[92]