Microsoft is shedding 1,900 staff — or round 8% of Microsoft Gaming’s 22,000 staff. Nearly all of layoffs are at Activision Blizzard, although cuts will affect Xbox and ZeniMax staff, too. The memo from Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer: It has been just a little over three months for the reason that Activision, Blizzard, and King groups joined Microsoft. As we transfer ahead in 2024, the management of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is dedicated to aligning on a method and an execution plan with a sustainable price construction that can assist the entire of our rising enterprise. Collectively, we have set priorities, recognized areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the very best alternatives for progress.
As a part of this course of, we now have made the painful choice to cut back the dimensions of our gaming workforce by roughly 1900 roles out of the 22,000 individuals on our workforce. The Gaming Management Group and I are dedicated to navigating this course of as thoughtfully as attainable. The people who find themselves immediately impacted by these reductions have all performed an necessary half within the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox groups, and they need to be happy with every little thing they’ve achieved right here. We’re grateful for all the creativity, ardour and dedication they’ve delivered to our video games, our gamers and our colleagues. We’ll present our full assist to those that are impacted throughout the transition, together with severance advantages knowledgeable by native employment legal guidelines. These whose roles will likely be impacted will likely be notified, and we ask that you simply please deal with your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that’s in keeping with our values.
Wanting forward, we’ll proceed to spend money on areas that can develop our enterprise and assist our technique of bringing extra video games to extra gamers all over the world. Though this can be a troublesome second for our workforce, I am as assured as ever in your capacity to create and nurture the video games, tales and worlds that convey gamers collectively.