Microsoft is shedding 1,900 staff — or round 8% of Microsoft Gaming’s 22,000 staff. The vast majority of layoffs are at Activision Blizzard, although cuts will influence Xbox and ZeniMax staff, too. The memo from Microsoft Gaming chief Phil Spencer: It has been slightly over three months because the 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 value construction that may 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 perfect alternatives for development.
As a part of this course of, we’ve made the painful resolution to scale back the dimensions of our gaming workforce by roughly 1900 roles out of the 22,000 folks on our crew. The Gaming Management Group and I are dedicated to navigating this course of as thoughtfully as potential. The people who find themselves straight impacted by these reductions have all performed an vital half within the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox groups, and they need to be happy with every part they’ve achieved right here. We’re grateful for all the creativity, ardour and dedication they’ve dropped at our video games, our gamers and our colleagues. We are going to present our full assist to those that are impacted through the transition, together with severance advantages knowledgeable by native employment legal guidelines. These whose roles might be impacted might be notified, and we ask that you simply please deal with your departing colleagues with the respect and compassion that’s according to our values.
Trying forward, we’ll proceed to spend money on areas that may develop our enterprise and assist our technique of bringing extra video games to extra gamers all over the world. Though it is a tough second for our crew, I am as assured as ever in your capacity to create and nurture the video games, tales and worlds that deliver gamers collectively.