The tech giant has begun to cull workers from the newly acquired division to reduce ‘areas of overlap’ during the integration effort, with Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Ybarra also exiting the company.
And the layoffs continue… Microsoft has begun to cull workers from its newly acquired Activision Blizzard division in an integration effort to reduce “areas of overlap,” according to Variety. In a memo to staff, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer announced a new round of layoffs, stating, “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.”
Those “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,” Spencer continued. “We are grateful for all of the creativity, passion and dedication they have brought to our games, our players and our colleagues.”
As part of the layoffs, Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Ybarra will exit the company. “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 on your amazing work,” Ybarra wrote on X.
“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,” Spencer concluded. “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.”
Cybersecurity specialist by day, investigative journalist by night.
