It does not seem to matter what industry you work in right now. Layoffs have become an almost daily concern for many of those in the workforce. This is especially true in the gaming industry, which after massive expansion during the pandemic. Has been quickly cutting its staff sizes down due to lower than expected profits. From massive corporations like Amazon and Microsoft, to smaller AA studios. No one seems immune to these layoffs. It appears PlayStation’s Visual Arts team has become the latest victim of downsizing.
PlayStation’s Visual Arts Team Faces Downsizing
Courtesy of Wccftech
Originally shared by an X user Timur22. A LinkedIn post from Daniel Bellemare a Senior Level Designer for the team had this to say about layoffs affecting the Visual Arts team.
“Unfortunately, following a wave of layoffs last week was my last at Playstation. While this is certainly not news I was hoping for, I’m grateful to have had a chance to work amongst extremely talented colleagues on incredible projects and I’m leaving with good memories of my time there.”
Bellemare had only joined the Visual Arts team 6 months ago. After a 4 year stint previously at Ubisoft. Working on titles such as Assassin Creed: Valhalla as well as Immortals Fenyx Rising. He was currently working on an unannounced PlayStation 5 title. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just Bellamere who was affected by the layoff.
Matt Barney a Senior Technical Recruter for PlayStation’s Visual Arts Team was also affected by the layoff stating.
“Goodbye PlayStation / Sony Interactive Entertainment, it’s been real! 👋 For the past few months, I knew this layoff wave was coming 🌊 I love PlayStation & I always will… I mean, I stayed when I had the chance to leave, so obviously!”
Barney had been a recruiter for the team for almost 3 years at the time of his layoff. It is unclear what the full scope of these layoffs is as several contractors have also announced on X that they were affected by the layoff as well.
What Is Happening To PlayStation’s Visual Arts Team?
There is no doubt that there is downsizing happening at PlayStation’s Visual Arts Team. This honestly is surprising, as the team is primarily used to support other PlayStation first-party studios. As well as assisting with partnered third-party development. A flexible support team that can help across a multitude of projects would seem like an asset in the current AAA development space. However, after a large group of contractors were cut from Naughty Dog a few weeks ago. It is clear that PlayStation like many other big players is trying to optimize their teams and operate lean. This isn’t the first time the team has been affected by layoffs as back in May it was reported several developers had been cut.
This will no doubt not be the last time we hear about layoffs in the gaming industry, unfortunately. Hopefully, everyone involved in this layoff will land on their feet. As the industry continues to adjust
What do you think of these layoffs? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.
