Microsoft has fired over 1900 people in a mass layoff mainly targeting the gaming division, this includes Activision Blizzard and its president Mike Ybarra. Only 3 months after completing the $69 Billion acquisition, Microsoft has already shaken up the company to its core.
This marks 5900 people fired in the gaming industry in 2024 alone, which is alarming because this isn’t even the end of January. These layoffs make up 60% of the total number of people removed from the gaming industry in 2023. If this trend continues into 2024, we’re in for an entirely different gaming landscape. According to the people working in Activision Blizzard, they are not even aware of which people will be losing their jobs and which won’t.
Microsoft Mass Layoff Might Not Include Mike Ybarra
Blizzard’s boss, Mike Ybarra, has also left his position vacant. But Microsoft’s Matt Booty claims that Ybarra left on his own volition and was not fired. This doesn’t align with Ybarra’s older claims that he intends to work in Blizzard for a very long time, and the only way he will ever quit is if he is dragged out.
The founder of Blizzard, Allen Adham, has decided to leave his position as the chief design officer in the company. This massive restructuring isn’t all that is happening, some of the projects might be under fire too.
It has already been confirmed that Activision Blizzard’s new universe survival game titled “Odyssey” has been canceled. This title has been in the works for over six years, and although it didn’t have any gameplay reveals, it was a massive undertaking nevertheless.
Hopefully, this trend of mass layoffs will slow down as the year goes on. It is uncertain how many more projects or people will be affected by this change in leadership, but as this story unfolds, we will keep you posted here at The Nerd Stash.
