Microsoft layoffs hit Activision Blizzard as 1,900 employees let go
Activision/MicrosoftJust four months after Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision was finalized, the company is set to lay off around 1,900 employees from their Xbox division.
It was a huge year for Microsoft in 2023, after various legal battles concluded in their long-awaited acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Not only did Microsoft succeed in growing as a technology corporation, but its video game division grew in size and reach.
However, 2024 is looking to be a different story for Microsoft as reports from The Verge and IGN stated that Microsoft are laying off 1,900 workers from their Xbox division, including the newly acquired Activision, Bethesda, and more.
This shocking news arrives just four months after Microsoft finalized its purchase of Activision in October 2023.
After the deal went through in October, Phil Spencer stated that the acquisition of Activision Blizzard would build a “culture that strives to empower everyone to do their best work.” Now, four months later, Microsoft are laying off 1,900 employees, many of which are tied to Activision Blizzard.
The Verge report states: “The cuts work out to roughly 8 percent of the overall Microsoft Gaming division that stands at around 22,000 employees in total.” The layoffs at Microsoft follow layoffs at other high-profile companies such as Twitch, Riot Games, and Google.
In an email sent to staff, Activision President Rob Kostich touched on the layoffs “Across AP, we have made organizational changes to reset and re-align our resources for the future.” The email went on to thank staff for their efforts and promised to support impacted individuals.
It was also announced that Blizzard Entertainment President Mike Ybarra would be leaving the company effective immediately. The Verge report claims that “Microsoft plans to name a new Blizzard president next week.”
In addition, Blizzard’s previously announced new survival IP game has been canceled, with the company “shifting some of the people working on it to one of several promising new projects Blizzard has in the early stages of development.”
For more news, check out how Microsoft plan to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo, or find out if CoD will be an Xbox exclusive moving forward.
