Summary
A union ofWorld of Warcraftdevelopers has called outXbox’s latest wave of layoffs, labelling it a “heartless” decision. A representative of the union also encourages workers to unionise, as mass layoffs like this have become “all too common” in the industry.
This comes asMicrosoft revealed that it’s cutting a further 650 jobs from its gaming divisions. This is on top of the1,900 layoffs in January,although this time, the focus is onActivision Blizzardworkers. In an email to staff, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the layoffs were in aid of “long-term success” post-acquisition.
In response, Samuel Cooper, a senior producer on World of Warcraft who recently helped form one of the largest unions in the industry, is encouraging more workers to organise and “protect each other”.
“Every worker deserves a voice on the job and a say over the impact of job cuts,” says Cooper. “While we would hope that a company like Microsoft with $88 billion in profits last year could achieve ‘long term success’ without destroying the livelihoods of 650 of our colleagues, heartless layoffs like these have become all too common.
“We stand in solidarity with everyone who lost their job today and encourage all video game workers to join with us and form unions so we can protect each other.”
Game Industry Layoffs Show No Sign Of Slowing Down
There have been around 2,550 job cuts at Microsoft this year, with the last round of job cutsresulting in the closure of four Bethesda-owned studios: Tango Gameworks, Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Games, and Roundhouse Games
This time, Phil Spencer added that the job cuts won’t result in huge closures and cancellations. “No games, devices or experiences are being cancelled and no studios are being closed as part of these adjustments today,” he explained.
However, as highlighted by Cooper, this still means that there are 650 workers who have lost their livelihoods. It remains to be seen when these industry-wide layoffs come to an end, as right now, 2024 is proving to be yet another volatile year for workers.
Microsoft
Microsoft is an American multinational conglomerate responsible for products such as Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer and Edge, and the Xbox series of home consoles.
