In 2024 the gaming industry is experiencing a real record of layoffs. The number of those who have lost their jobs is already higher than that of the whole of 2023an already dramatic year for the sector.
More precisely, in 2023 around 10,000 people were fired, a figure already reached and exceeded in 2024. Considering that we are still halfway through the sixth month of the year, this is a result that is better not to boast about and which can only get worse in the next months.
It must be said that in the video game industry, layoffs are not a rarity, due to the structural problems of the development of current video games, which often have cycles exceeding five years. So it became normal to see hiring made during production periods, with layoffs immediately following launch. Nonetheless, the current situation is unprecedented and goes well beyond the normality of a sector already incapable of dealing with its problems.
It must also be said that the industry continues to spend on acquisitions (see the very recent one of Gearbox, purchased by Take Two), the revenues of the large multinationals in the sector are however growing, with some, such as Electronic Arts or SEGA, who they fired even in the face of positive results.
There have also been many closures of entire studios, such as the three closed by Microsoft with a fourth being absorbed by another studio. Other companies, such as KeokeN, have not closed, but have still fired all their staff and are trying to survive as best they can, relying on alternative routes such as Kickstarter.
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