Game Over: Gaming Industry Hit by Layoffs in 2024
In 2024, layoffs in the gaming industry continue. With over 5,000 affected just in January, it’s now around 10,000 already in Q1.
Mobile gaming revenue continues to grow 50% year over year. The number of players has nearly doubled, then what’s wrong? Bill Roper, Lunacy Games CEO, brings a unique perspective here.
“I think that there’s just a humanity that has been lost in our industry, and it’s up to us to try to bring it back”. “I really think we’re going to see a onslaught of small companies starting up that are driven by this desire to create better workplaces in order to make better games.”
After recently publishing Layoffs in Data.ai, we’ve already seen more to come…
Microsoft Takes #1 in the Number of Layoffs – 1,900
IGN was the first to report on January 25 that Microsoft was laying off 1,900 employees across its gaming divisions, encompassing Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax.
Unity to Go For %25 Cut of Its Staff – 1800
Unity, having previously laid off 1165 employees in 2023, and followed by 1800 in 2024, is now continuing this trajectory by confirming plans to cut nearly 25% of the staff.
Playtika: Layoffs Following Innplay Labs Acquisition – 400
Playtika intends to reduce its workforce by up to 400 employees, constituting approximately 10% of its total workforce. This decision follows a previous layoff of 900 employees in 2022. Additionally, in 2023, the company finalized an acquisition deal worth up to $300 million for Innplay Labs, a fellow mobile developer.
Sony to Shut Down London Studio – 900
Sony plans to lay off 900 employees across several PlayStation studios, while also shuttering its London studio. Among the affected studios are some of Sony’s most prominent, including Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog, known for their blockbuster titles such as “Spider-Man” and “The Last of Us,” respectively.
EA Lays Off 5% of their Workforce – 700
Electronic Arts has announced plans to downsize its workforce by 5% as part of a restructuring initiative aimed at streamlining operations. EA, known for games like “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” and beloved franchises such as “FC 2024” and “The Sims 4,” expects restructuring charges in the range of $125 million to $165 million.
Pixelberry Studios – 120
Pixelberry Studios, a mobile game developer owned by Nexon, has undergone layoffs, with details undisclosed. Gamedeveloper first reported this on January 17.
Amazon is laying off 35% of Employees in Twitch – 500
Twitch CEO Dan Clancy justifies layoffs as necessary for company “rightsizing” following Amazon’s 2014 acquisition for nearly $1 billion. Despite Amazon’s hands-off approach, Twitch has extended benefits to Prime subscribers, including free games and in-game rewards.
Riot Games Slashes Global Workforce by 11% – 530
Riot Games, known for LoL and Valorant, will cut 11% of its global workforce, aligning with tech companies streamlining operations.
SEGA sells Relic Entertainment – 240
SEGA cuts 240 employees across Sega Europe, Creative Assembly and Sega HARDlight.
Discord – 170
On January 11, 2024, The Verge reported that Discord planned to lay off about 17% of its workforce.
Gameloft – 38
Gameloft reduced its workforce on February 22, cutting 38 jobs at its Lviv office and an unspecified number in Toronto.
Scopely – 15
On February 14, Scopely confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that the end of its partnership with Global Worldwide, makers of Kingdom Maker, affected 15 employees.
Some More Gaming Studios
Lost Boys – 125
Thunderful Group – 100
Eidos-Montreal – 100
Sega of America – 60
Metaverse World – 70
Ntreev Soft – 70
Reikon Games – 60
Black Forest Games – 50
Crop Circle Games – 50
Pole To Win – 45
Netspeak Games – 25
Wimo Games – 35
Behaviour Interactive – 45
People Can Fly – 35
Little Red Dog – 25
Artificer – 30
Chief Rebel – 20
Nimble Giant – 30
Hidden Path – 45
CI Games – 20
Com2uS – 10
91Act – 60
