This yr was arguably the most effective of all time for video video games; it was undoubtedly one of many worst for the individuals who make them. Throughout the yr, studios have been shut down, hundreds laid off, and builders got, disrespectfully, 30 seconds to shine on The Game Awards 2023 stage after successful awards. More than 10,000 builders have been laid off in 2023, and depressingly, it felt like we wrote a narrative about studio layoffs as soon as per week.
In January, Microsoft laid off 10,000 workers amidst its ongoing $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, which it accomplished in October.
Striking Distance Studios, the crew behind final yr’s The Callisto Protocol, laid off greater than 30 workers in August. That identical month, Mass Effect and Dragon Age developer BioWare laid off 50 workers, together with long-time studio veterans. The following month, in September, Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios laid off roughly 45% of its employees, and Fortnite developer Epic Games laid off 830 workers.
In October, The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog laid off a minimum of 25 workers, and Telltale Games additionally underwent layoffs, though an precise variety of affected workers has not but been revealed. Dreams developer Media Molecule laid off 20 workers in late October.
In November, Amazon Games laid off 180 employees members, Ubisoft laid off greater than 100 workers, Bungie laid off roughly 100 builders, and 505 Games’ mum or dad firm, Digital Bros, laid off 30% of its employees.
Just this month, Embracer Group closed its reformed TimeSplitters studio, Free Radical Design, and earlier within the yr, Embracer closed Saints Row developer Volition Games, a studio with greater than 30 years of improvement historical past. Just a few weeks earlier than the vacations, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The (*10*) proprietor Hasbro laid off 1,100 workers.
The video games business will certainly really feel the results of such a horrific yr for years to come back. The hearts of the Game Informer employees are with everybody who’s been affected by layoffs or closures this yr.
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