In light of a continuing economic slump and a crowded holiday market, three major video game publishers have recently been clarifying their plans for global layoffs.
Electronic Arts has raised its headcount reduction figures from six percent to ten percent (about 1,000 people worldwide). Yesterday, 200 employees were let go at Black Box following the release of Skate 2; Tiburon has lost staff this week, and Pandemic’s Brisbane studio has been released from the publisher, according to gamesindustry.biz.
Microsoft recently announced plans to cut some 5000 jobs, with long-time Flight Simulator studio ACES bearing many of those layoffs.
Sony has claimed that its reduction in global headcount will not affect the games division, despite recent Gamasutra reports that the company intends to increase its projected losses to $2.9 billion. With the PS3 struggling in a Wii-dominated market, it remains to be seen how many jobs will ultimately be lost.
1 comment:
While Sony and Microsoft are forced to cut jobs, Nintendo is somewhat unaffected. What is happening to the video game industry shows that it is not "recession-proof" as many long believed. Who will be next developer or publisher to cut jobs?
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