2023 was a huge year for video games, but unfortunately it was also a period that saw an unprecedented number of layoffs, with an estimated 9,000 people losing their jobs.
Embracer Group alone let go of around 900 staff members across its massive umbrella of studios, and some companies were shuttered altogether, including Volition (Saints Row) and Free Radical (TimeSplitters). Epic Games also suffered huge losses with 830 people laid off at the Fortnite creator, while other companies also affected by the year-wide layoffs include Activision Blizzard, BioWare, Bungie, CD Projekt RED, EA, Naughty Dog, and Sega. Unfortunately, it looks 2024 is going to be even worse than the previous year, with games reporter Christopher Dring claiming that the mass wave of job losses will even extend into 2025.
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Even though we’re only in January 2024, there has already been a number of layoffs confirmed. You can see our coverage below.
Every Instance Of Games Industry Layoffs In 2024
- Surgeon Simulator Dev Suffers Layoffs With One-Third Of Its Staff Let Go
- Dead By Daylight Developer Behaviour Interactive Reportedly Hit By Layoffs
- Lost Boys Interactive Reportedly Sees A ‘Sizble Portion’ Of Staff Laid Off By Embracer Group
- Thunderful Group Confirms Plans To Lay Off 20% Of Its Workforce
- CI Games Confirms Plans To Lay Off 10% Of Its Workforce
- Riot Games Is Laying Off 11% Of Its Staff, Approximately 530 Developers Effected
- Outriders Developer People Can Fly The Latest To Suffer Layoffs, More Than 30 Developers Impacted
- TMNT: The Last Ronin Developer Black Forest Games Reportedly Hit With Layoffs, About 50% Of Its Staff Gone
- Microsoft Lays Off 1,900 People Between Activision Blizzard, Xbox Divisions And Cancel’s Blizzard’s New Survival Game
- Ruiner Developer Reikon Games Will Reportedly Layoff 80% Of Its Staff
- Embracer Group Cancels The New Deus Ex Game, Lays Off 97 Developers From Eidos Montreal
- Visual Concepts Austin Suffers Layoffs
- Life Is Strange: True Colors Developer Deck Nine Announces It Is Laying Off 20% Of Staff
- Sony Announces Reduction In Global Workforce; Proposes Closure Of London Studio And Layoffs At Firesprite
- Supermassive Games Confirms It’s Entering ‘Reorgansiation’ Of Studio, Anticipates Layoffs
- EA Announces Strategic Shift, Lays Off 5% Of Total Workforce
- Insomniac Releases Statement On Layoffs
- Radical Forge Announces Restructuring Resulting In A Small Number Of Layoffs
- EA’s Latest Mass Layoff Wave Hits Apex Legends Team At Respawn Entertainment
- SEGA Confirms Sale Of Relic Entertainment, Plans To Cut 240 Jobs Across Multiple UK Studios
- Relic Entertainment Announces Layoffs, A Week After Going Independent
- Take-Two Will Reportedly Layoff 5% Of Staff And Cut Multiple Projects