Phil Spencer har i en mail til de ansatte i Microsofts gaming division meddelt, at 1.900 stillinger vil blive skåret væk, på tværs af Activision, Blizzard, Bethesda og Xbox. Denne store fyringsrunde kommer bare 3 måneder efter Microsofts 69 milliarder dyre opkøb af Activision og Blizzard blev gennemført.
I mailen skriver Phil Spencer blandt andet:
As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. Together, we've set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we're 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 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.
På samme tid har Blizzard president Mike Ybarra meddelt, at han forlader virksomheden, og det samme gør Blizzards chief design officer, Allen Adham. Om Ybarra og Adham er blevet opsagt eller har fået valget at sige op selv, vides ikke.
Denne store fyringsrunde kommer 1 år efter Microsoft i januar 2023 fyrede 10.000 af deres mere end 220.000 ansatte - hvoraf nogle af dem også var i selskabets gaming division.
Det lader bestemt ikke til at fyringerne i spilbranchen aftager i 2024 - nærmest tværtimod. Nogle branchechefer mener endda, at 2024 vil blive året hvor flere udviklere og publishere vil lukke.
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