Three months have passed since the purchase of Activision, Blizzard and King by Microsoft It ended. Although a series of changes were expected after completing this process, today a movement was announced that not many expected. Through a statement, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has revealed that 1,900 company employees will lose their jobs.
On the morning of January 25, 2024, Spencer shared an email with his employees, one that has already reached the hands of multiple media, where it is mentioned that 1,900 employees will lose their jobs. However, The manager assures that Xbox will provide all possible support to make this transition not so heavy.. This is what was said about it:
“It's been just over three months since the Activision, Blizzard and King teams joined Microsoft. As we move toward 2024, Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard leadership is committed to aligning on a strategy and execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the entirety of our growing business. Together, we have set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and made sure we are all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.
As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1,900 roles from our 22,000-person team. The Games Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as carefully as possible. Everyone who is directly affected by these reductions has played an important role in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and the Xbox teams, and should be proud of everything they have accomplished here. We are grateful for all the creativity, passion and dedication you have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those affected during the transition, including compensation benefits established by local labor laws. Those whose roles will be affected will be notified and we ask that you treat your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that is consistent with our values.
Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world. While this is a difficult time for our team, I am more confident than ever in their ability to create and nurture the games, stories, and worlds that bring players together.
“Phil.”
This number of layoffs represents 8% of the 22,000 employees of Microsoft's gaming division. While the Xbox and ZeniMax Media areas have been affected, the biggest hit has been taken by Blizzard. Along with the layoffs of hundreds of employees, it has also been revealed that Mike Ybarra, the president of Blizzard, has decided to leave the company. This is what he said about it:
“I want to thank everyone who is affected today for their significant contributions to their teams, Blizzard, and the lives of players. It is an incredibly difficult day and my energy and support will be focused on all those incredible people impacted; This is in no way a reflection of their incredible work. If there is anything I can help with, connections, recommendations, etc., send me a private message.
To the Blizzard community: I also want to inform you that today is my last day at Blizzard. Leading Blizzard through an incredible time and being a part of the team, shaping it for the future, was an absolute honor. Having spent over 20 years at Microsoft and with the Activision Blizzard acquisition behind us, it's time for me to (once again) become Blizzard's biggest outsider fan.
To the amazing teams at Blizzard: thank you. Words cannot express how I feel for all of you. Are fabulous. Keep doing amazing things and always keep Blizzard blue and the player at the forefront of every decision.
To everyone affected today: I am always available to you and understand how challenging today's news is. My heart goes out to each of you.”
I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players' lives. It's an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted – this is in no way a reflection…
— Mike Ybarra 🎄 (@Qwik) January 25, 2024
Ybarra worked at Blizzard for 20 years, and his departure will likely damage the studio's morale. For its part, Xbox has indicated that they will appoint a new president for this company next week. However, this does not end here, since Allen Adham, Blizzard's chief design officer and co-founder, is also leaving the company.
Last but not least, Blizzard has canceled Odyssey, their survival game that they have been working on for the last six years. Without However, Matt Booty, head of content for games and studios, has indicated that they will move personnel so that some of Blizzard's projects in early development stages advance without many problems.
All these layoffs come to light at the same time multiple similar stories from Riot Games, Google, Discord, Twitch, Unity, and more companies. For its part, the last time Microsoft carried out a series of changes of this style was last year, when 10,000 employees lost their jobs. Unfortunately, this has already become a trend for the industry. On related topics, you can learn more about the Riot Games layoffs here. Likewise, you can check out the Xbox Developer_Direct summary here.
Editor's Note:
This is a real problem for the industry. The medium continues to grow and grow, to the point that it is becoming unsustainable. Instead of managers taking responsibility and reducing their extravagant salaries, those who suffer are developers who lose their jobs, or are forced to leave the companies they have seen grow to find something better. Unfortunately, it seems that this will not come to an end.
Via: The Verge
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