Microsoft announced Thursday that it is laying off 1,900 workers from its division dedicated to video games. This is equivalent to 9% of the company's total workforce dedicated to the development, creation and distribution of video games. The workers belong to Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft acquired in 2023 for $68.7 billion, as well as Zenimax and Xbox.
The almost 2,000 workers will not leave alone. Blizzard president Mike Ybarra announced the same day that he was leaving the company after a 20-year career at Microsoft. After the acquisition, Ybarra became the president of Blizzard, the brand is famous for the development of classic games such as World of Warcraft and the Diablo saga.
I want to thank everyone who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives. It’s an incredibly hard day and my energy and support will be focused on all those amazing individuals impacted – this is in no way a reflection…
— Mike Ybarra 🎄 (@Qwik) January 25, 2024
According to The Verge, Microsoft is expected to name a new president for Blizzard next week. According to the same source, along with the layoffs, Blizzard's last project, a survival game, is also canceled.
Mike Ybarra published a message on social media in which he thanked his former colleagues for their years of work. "To all of those impacted today - I am always available to you and understand how challenging today’s news is. My heart is with each one of you," Ybarra concluded.
This new wave of layoffs adds to the one that Microsoft announced last year. In 2023, tech giant reported that it would cut nearly 10,000 jobs. This has been a trend among other technology companies. In recent months, Riot Games, Google, Discord, Amazon, Unity and eBay have also carried out significant staff reductions.
