Microsoft has laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox jobs.
Microsoft has laid off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox jobs
The tech conglomerate bought the company, which has produced titles like ‘Call of Duty’, ‘Diablo’ and ‘World of Warcraft’, in October for $68.7 billion, and has now axed roughly eight per cent of roles at their gaming division to ensure "that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth."
In a memo obtained by The Verge, Microsoft’s CEO Phil Spencer wrote: “As part of this process, we have made the painful decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1,900 roles out of the 22,000 people on our team.
“The Gaming Leadership Team and I are committed to navigating this process as thoughtfully as possible. The people who are directly impacted by these reductions have all played an important part in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax and the Xbox teams, and they should be proud of everything they’ve accomplished here.
“We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues. We will provide our full support to those who are impacted during the transition, including severance benefits informed by local employment laws.
“Looking ahead, we’ll continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to more players around the world.
“Although this is a difficult moment for our team, I’m as confident as ever in your ability to create and nurture the games, stories and worlds that bring players together.”
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