Industry and Video game layoff thread |OT| Any future layoff info please place in here.

Gods&Monsters

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21 Jun 2022
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If Disney's gaming efforts could last more than 4 or 5 years at a time I'd have gladly included them too. The fact that WB also has tv and movie studios attached to it does nothing to change the fact that they are a major publisher of games with six big internal studios focused on console gaming, a few separate mobile and support studios, independent publishing deals for other WB IP games that they don't make and at least one truly golden gaming IP in the form of Mortal Kombat. And rather than being a new interloper they've been at it in the AAA space for well over a decade now. You might as well be saying that Bandai-Namco isn't a big independent publisher either because they're an anime and toy company too.
I see a distinction between WB and Ubisoft, Take2 or Square. You don't. Valve, Amazon, WB and EA are all the same kind of publisher to you. Whatever.

At this point I don't care and you won't change my mind 🤷‍♂️
 

Cool hand luke

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14 Feb 2023
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Microsoft that just laid off 1900 last week and 10000 last year 🤡

These garbage people are so fucking stupid. Sega deserves it for aligning themselves with MS so closely.
That twitter profile is hard to read. I think it's a troll. He retweets Sony State of Play and FFVII rebirth things and says he'll wait for Se7en (the movie) to come to GP.
 
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Yobo

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They were fired for cutting deals with Xbox that is losing Sega tens of millions
 

Satoru

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Microsoft is ruthless with these cuts. Fucming trillion dollar company, could relocate these people in other sectors within the company, moving them from gaming to azure, office or other products, but, no, they simply cut these people.
Disgusting company.
I hate late stage capitalism and its “infinite growth” mantra:

Watch out, people will come out and say that these people were all useless and that layoffs are needed for the business to be successful. Let's say that these people usually ignore that at least with the big ones like MS, Google, FB, etc, the strategy is to lay off and then re-offer something a few months later with a much lower compensation package. Or hiring for the same positions in lower cost of living countries.

Can't wait for AI to actually collapse society when people are not able to find a job and afford products.
 
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Sircaw

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I have changed my opinion, I think her appointment was a master Stroke of genius.
 

anonpuffs

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article link

As it approaches its one-year anniversary, the worker-led AEGIS union will be hit hard by Sega of America's layoffs in the coming weeks.

  • Sega of America was prevously accused by AEGIS of trying union-busting tactics to break up its members.
The incoming layoffs at Sega of America (SoA) are set to hit its workers union, AEGIS.
In a statement to press, the CWA-backed group said all 61 employees being let go in March are represented by the union. The union was first formed by 144 staffers last April.
Back in November, the union accused SoA of trying to lay off 40 percent of staff. The act was believed to be a union-busting tactic, which both SoA and Sega were accused of prior to its union vote.
AEGIS said it heard about SoA layoffs months ago, and bargained to mitigate the damage. Sega initially aimed to cut nearly all temp workers and give them two weeks severance.
By bargaining with Sega of America, AEGIS secured 8-14 weeks of severance for those being let go (depending on their tenure). And 18 employees were able to keep their jobs.
"This has been a hard fight and it is devastating to say goodbye to our friends and coworkers," wrote AEGIS. While it was glad to "soften the blow" of layoffs, it acknowledged the event justified its existence.

"Without a union today would be a lot worse than it is. These are hard times in our industry and every worker in it deserves a union so we can all fight back together."

For Microsoft's staff cuts in January, unions prevented layoffs from hitting represented members for ZeniMax and Activision Blizzard. Unions can't always protect against layoffs, but they can mitigate the damage.

The CWA and ex-Bungie general counsel Don McGowan advised studios unionize. 2024 is looking to be a layoff-heavy year, and organizing may be the only way for developers fight for their rights.
 

Zzero

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9 Jan 2023
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I think this has been falling through the cracks so far but Sledgehammer Melbourne was working on a new IP prior to the Acti buyout. Then Sledgehammer as a unit got particularly hard hit by the MS layoffs. Whatever that was, its surely dead, right?

Only way it isn't IMO is if its another Skull and Bones situation with the Aus government.