Microsoft continues to lay off more gaming staff

According to Engadget , the gaming industry continues to face sad news. Recently, Microsoft announced more staff cuts at two game developers owned by Activision Blizzard, Toys for Bob and Sledgehammer Games.

According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, 86 employees at Toys for Bob, the studio famous for the Skylanders series, will lose their jobs on March 30. In addition, the studio's office will also be closed. This number is much higher than the initial estimate of only about 35 employees being affected.

In addition, 76 other employees at Sledgehammer Games, the studio behind Call of Duty: Vanguard , will also be laid off. The developer, which was founded in 2009 and has contributed to many popular Call of Duty titles, will reportedly move to a fully remote work model after closing its offices.

Microsoft announces layoffs of 162 more gaming employees

In total, the layoffs affect 162 Microsoft employees. This is part of a plan to cut 1,900 employees across the entire Xbox, Activision Blizzard and ZeniMax (Bethesda) teams announced by Microsoft at the end of January.

The cuts have caught the attention of the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which said the layoffs were inconsistent with Microsoft’s commitments during negotiations to acquire Activision Blizzard. The commission has ordered a halt to the $69 billion deal pending further investigation.

Layoffs in the gaming industry have become a serious concern. An estimated 10,500 jobs will be lost in 2023, and that number is expected to reach 6,000 in the first month of 2024 alone, indicating a serious situation. These cuts are part of a larger wave of layoffs happening across the tech industry as a whole.

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