Activision-Blizzard will conduct major layoffs as soon as this Tuesday. The announcement has spurred a flurry of support throughout the industry. It was recently reported that the gaming titan was also hit with a giant class-action lawsuit. The impending layoffs are just another sign that things in the industry aren’t so rosy.
Industry insiders are banding together to show support and started to call for the need to unionize. Naughty Dog and Gunfire Games have gone so far as to tweet out their current openings.
We’re sorry to hear about the layoffs at #Activision #Blizzard . If you’ve been affected by the layoffs, check out our open positions, we’re hiring Artists and Programmers! https://t.co/amdVdR68dB#gamejobs #gamedev
— Gunfire Games (@gunfire_games) February 9, 2019
Activision Blizzard is full of great people and some dear friends. I hope the rumors of impending layoffs aren’t true. Whatever the future holds, here are all the open roles at @Naughty_Dog on The Last of Us Part II. Follow @NaughtyDogJobs for any new openings. pic.twitter.com/K3Ir6QSufB
— Scott Lowe (@ScottLowe) February 9, 2019
Activision-Blizzard stock dipped as much as 2.5 percent to $42.88 on Friday. With the company already on shaky ground, news of layoffs is not helping lift up their shares
Activision Blizzard is set to layoff employees on Tuesday which could number in the hundreds of people, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The layoffs “are part of a restructuring aimed at centralizing functions and boosting profit”. Ouch. https://t.co/7qRce8Hird pic.twitter.com/4UhWPGb6fi
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) February 9, 2019
Hundreds of employees are set to be let go without a severance package in sight. Calls on social media and at gatherings such as the Game Developers conference to unionize have sparked major debates throughout the industry. The adverse conditions many industry professionals face at work have recently come to light. Major studios foster a hostile work environment, are forcing their employees to works obscene hours, and lay off workers without notice or compensation.
Steve Kaplan, an International Representative at the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees said in a recent interview with Variety, “There have been many attempts in the past to organize in the game industry, but much like other industries, those attempts were met with fear and doubt. Which is normal. There’s nothing more nerve-wracking then turning to your coworker and saying that we deserve rest breaks and a healthcare system. We deserve so much more.”
Telltale and Activision-Blizzard won’t be the last to conduct mass layoffs. The industry is in a state of flux and everyone is left to wonder when enough will be enough.
