Brutal cuts in the gaming industry continue
And it could get much worse ...
It’s been a brutal month for employees of gaming companies, and it could get much worse as the year progresses. Read about th leatest cuts, more details on Microsoft and more.
Job cuts in the gaming industry continue
Gaming industry layoffs continue at a breakneck pace. Over 5,000 professionals lost their jobs in the first month of 2024, already over half the total number of cuts from 2023. This week was especially bad, with Microsoft laying off over 1,900 and Riot Games cutting over 500 jobs.
It could get worse for game companies in 2024. According to a GameIndustry.biz article, one CEO stated:
If 2023 was the year of layoffs, 2024 will be the year of closures. Not just developers, but publishers, media, service companies... There are just too many unprofitable businesses in video games. We're looking at up to two years of pain.
There were more cuts announced this week, including:
- Destroy All Humans developer Black Forest Games cut 50% of employees.
- Outriders developer People Can Fly laid off more than 30 staff members.
- Lords of the Fallen developer CI Games laid off 10% of staff.
- Dead By Daylight Studio Behaviour Interactive laid off 45 people.
- Sunshine Days studio Netspeak lays off 25 individuals.
Best to all those who lost their jobs.
More on Microsoft
Apart from laying off 1,900 people last week, Microsoft was in the news for multiple other reasons, including cancellation of a Blizzard survival game codenamed Odyssey. Inspired by games like Minecraft and Rust, Odyssey was in development for six years.
One department that was eliminated was dedicated to bringing Xbox games to physical retail. This might confirm the Microsoft leak from last year that the new Xbox consoles will be digital-only.
Finally, the cuts by Microsoft caught the eye of at least one U.S. Senator:
Just 3 months after @Microsoft's merger with @Activision, 1,900 workers have lost their jobs.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 25, 2024
I warned that this deal would hurt workers. These layoffs are a stark reminder that corporate mergers are bad for workers.
The @FTC should keep up the fight to unwind this merger. https://t.co/Nh6vpAXeYd
On the plus side, the cuts helped Microsoft become the second-ever trillion-dollar company, which is nice for them.
Side quests (more stories worth reading)
🏆 Check out our editor’s favorite games of 2023.
🚓 Netflix’s mobile game downloads have spiked, thanks to the addition of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy.
🗳️ Despite having their advertisement banned by Facebook, Votes for Women’s Kickstarter raised almost $200,000.
😱 Immortality developer Sam Barlow announced two new horror games that are “reinventing 3rd person horror.”
🍎 Apple now allows game streaming services like Xbox Cloud and GeForce Now on its app store.
💵 Twitch expands their partner program to give more streamers access to higher revenue shares.
⚖️ PUBG publisher Krafton Inc. is being sued for sexual assault and wrongful termination.
🐉 Dungeons & Dragons turns 50 in 2024. Check out some of the events planned to celebrate the legendary game.
👊🏼 Gaming fans really want Tifa from Final Fantasy as a fighter in Tekken 8.
👶 Death Stranding releases on Jan. 30 for iPhone and Mac.
🚀 Popular video game Eve Online launches a Kickstarter for a new board game. Back it here.
🤜🏼 Tekken 8 removed a potentially harmful accessibility option before the game was released.
🤯 The studio behind the failed game The Day Before blames bloggers for the game’s poor reception.
📽️ The movie Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children returns to theaters next month. The film was first released in 2005.
New Releases this week:
Check out our most anticipated games of 2024.
1/30: The Quinfall (PC)
1/30: BlazBlue Entropy Effect (PC)
2/2: Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
2/2: Persona 3 Reload (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
Thanks for reading. If you enjoy our newsletter, tell a friend to subscribe!
