Tom Henderson: 2024 will be worse thn 2023. Doubles down on more layoffs happening @ Xbox & in general.|UP| Bloomberg agrees more Xbox layoffs coming.

[Gamernyc78]

Today's Sony news makes the overall number of 2024 layoffs to over 7000​

Updated 5/7 in reference to Xbox and layoffs in general.



Update 5/8

https://archive.is/ICxmz

Microsoft’s Xbox Is Planning More Cuts After Studio Closings

Xbox is offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative

www.bloomberg.com

Xbox is offering voluntary severance agreements to producers, quality assurance testers and other staff at ZeniMax as part of a broader cost-cutting initiative

Xbox still isn't done cutting costs, sent voluntary buyout offers to some Zenimax staff. Others across the Xbox organization have been told that more cuts are on the way.

Why were Arkane Austin and Tango Gameworks closed? Bad timing, perhaps
Activision purchase has ramped up scrutiny on Xbox

 

[Vertigo]

Not surprising.

It’ll wipe a lot out. Those who survive will be those that actually sell product over subscription services. The bloat of game studios should also be addressed. The tightening of the purse for these companies will axe non essential positions. Good

I’m sorta excited to be honest. It’ll come with landscape changes in gaming space.

I expect new names to break their way into the top.

 

[Satoru]

It’ll wipe a lot out. Those who survive will be those that actually sell product over subscription services. The bloat of game studios should also be addressed. The tightening of the purse for these companies will axe non essential positions. Good

Yeah, bloat. Good thing I actually know people in the gaming industry that already work 10 or 12h days on the regular, and those companies are laying off. It's the bloat, I'm sure, and not growing consolidation devaluing the job market.

People like you are a waste of oxygen.

 

[Vertigo]

People are losing jobs. This is not anything exclusive to gaming. Consolidation is a consequence not a cause.

Community management and non game development personnel is a waste. Those are being gut across the board. Good riddance.

 

[AshHunter216]

I wish Embracer could get it together.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Given how things have been for a while as far as economics go this is unfortunately not a surprise. I'm surprised that it took this long to crack, assuming it will.

 

[Satoru]

People are losing jobs. This is not anything exclusive to gaming. Consolidation is a consequence not a cause.

Community management and non game development personnel is a waste. Those are being gut across the board. Good riddance.

Yeah, non-gaming development personnel like HR, or Customer Support, or Marketing, or IT, or localization. All of them are a waste, because you said so.

And a lot of jobs being lost are overworked departments, both in gaming and overall tech. Having survived two layoff rounds and seeing many of my colleagues having to do the work of three people now, even if that means no pay increases and no time off, is absolutely amazing to see.

Again, you're a waste of oxygen, and you should apologise to the tree that's providing you with oxygen.

 

[Yurinka]

Because of potatoes. Nothing leads to think it's going to be the case.

In 2024, like in 2023 or any year before it some companies will need to cut the fat or shut down, but others instead will grow or open.

And the total amount of companies and workers in the gaming industry will continue growing.

 

[Vertigo]

Yeah, non-gaming development personnel like HR, or Customer Support, or Marketing, or IT, or localization. All of them are a waste, because you said so.

And a lot of jobs being lost are overworked departments, both in gaming and overall tech. Having survived two layoff rounds and seeing many of my colleagues having to do the work of three people now, even if that means no pay increases and no time off, is absolutely amazing to see.

Again, you're a waste of oxygen, and you should apologise to the tree that's providing you with oxygen.

Cry me a river… we all survive rounds of layoffs and are overworked. Plenty of game companies are ridden with bloat and cutting back is part of the process. Not gonna feel bad one bit.

There’s plenty of waste and sacrifice and the companies that successfully manage the current crisis will be better for it.

 

[Satoru]

Cry me a river… we all survive rounds of layoffs and are overworked. Plenty of game companies are ridden with bloat and cutting back is part of the process. Not gonna feel bad one bit.

There’s plenty of waste and sacrifice and the companies that successfully manage the current crisis will be better for it.

Oh, you're a corporate bootlicker I see. Good for you mate. Perhaps you should consider yourself part of the bloat and get the fuck out of your current job, because if you're as intelligent as you demonstrate in this forum with your contributions, breathing is probably a challenge.

 

[Vertigo]

Oh, you're a corporate bootlicker I see. Good for you mate. Perhaps you should consider yourself part of the bloat and get the fuck out of your current job, because if you're as intelligent as you demonstrate in this forum with your contributions, breathing is probably a challenge.

If job cuts come from failing to meet expectations or flawed business models. Yea the work force is expendable to keep operations going in future so the whole operation doesn’t close up shop. I’ve experienced it. Every adult has. Money trains end too.

And they will lean on their best and most useful. I do 60 hour weeks. Likelihood is that if you’re employed right now you’re being worked like a dog. They cut the fat, bloat and the useless.

I don’t sympathize with the gaming industry more than I would any other. I’d rather see a dev do what it needs to survive than bankrupt itself into oblivion.

Times like these are key to new business models and products springing up. I just decide to still look at the industry with optimism.

 

[Jim Ryan]

Yes, it won't take long to hear some of this news.

 

[nongkris]

Sounds like the industry is going through a slow motion recession like the video game crash. This time it seems to be driven by industry consolidation and chasing shareholder profits vs the games actually doing bad. As it seems revenue are high across the board

Video game crash of 1983 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[arvfab]

Of course, we are at the beginning of the aftermath of consolidation.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Yes, it won't take long to hear some of this news.

Smh we hear this news weekly though so nothing new.

 

[Alabtrosmyster]

Cry me a river… we all survive rounds of layoffs and are overworked. Plenty of game companies are ridden with bloat and cutting back is part of the process. Not gonna feel bad one bit.

There’s plenty of waste and sacrifice and the companies that successfully manage the current crisis will be better for it.

I have not had a job where most of my time was not just wasted. I even used to take contracts for extra income during "work" hours, or go ride my bike/kayaking for the whole afternoon when I didn't have meetings.

I'm not the only one, not even the worst in my group of friends.

There is an untold amount of unnecessary jobs in the tech sector... When I was laid off about 10 years ago I thought that the next place would be more demanding, but after I settled in and got my stuff in order it was just the same.

I'm really good at what I'm doing, so I get organized... I have seen others with similar workloads in the same team feeling like they were under some ungodly amount of pressure for some reason.

 

[Gamernyc78]

This is starting to look true!

 

[Gamernyc78]

A comprehensive list of 2023 & 2024 tech layoffs | TechCrunch

Here you’ll find a complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2023.

techcrunch.com

 

[Yurinka]

Sounds like the industry is going through a slow motion recession like the video game crash. This time it seems to be driven by industry consolidation and chasing shareholder profits vs the games actually doing bad. As it seems revenue are high across the board

Video game crash of 1983 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There's no recession, the gaming industry is generating more revenue than ever, has more companies than ever, more workers than ever and publishes more games than ever. And all that keeps growing year after year.

The 2008 and covid finantial crisis didn't negatively impact gaming: the opposite, bumped it specially for digital games and services.

In recent times there are more layoffs and studio closures than ever, because there are more companies than ever. But there's also more hirings and new studios than ever, in a bigger number, so that results in growth of the number of companies and workers.

The thing is, the news and rumors only talk about big layoffs. They don't talk about studio growth. As an example, people talked about Bungie firing around 100 people, but nobody says that Bungie now has around 600 people more than when Sony annouced their acquisition, going from around 900 to 1500.

 

[Nym]