Layoffs Hit PlayStation – Studio Closure, 900 Let Go, and Projects Canceled
The gaming industry in recent years suffered from layoffs. Publishers large and small have suffered, with Embracer and Microsoft being more recent examples. PlayStation unfortunately joins the growing list of industry leaders.
Stated by PlayStation via Press Release:
We have made the extremely hard decision to announce our plan to commence a reduction of our overall headcount globally by about 8% or about 900 people, subject to local law and consultation processes. Employees across the globe, including our studios, are impacted
Layoffs At PlayStation
As reported by Jason Schreier, studios including Insomniac Games, Guerrilla Games, and Naughty Dog are affected. Insomniac has been the flagship PlayStation Studio this generation releasing two major PS5 releases (Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart & Spider-Man 2), a remaster (Spider-Man), and a cross-gen launch game for the platform (Miles Morales) with Wolverine releasing in the future. Them getting hit by these layoffs is disappointing.
In addition, PlayStation’s UK operations got a major reduction, with Studio London getting shuttered and Firesprite reducing staff.
Reports from Bloomberg state that the long-rumored Twisted Metal project from Firespirte is no more as well.
Jim’s Words of Encouragement
I will leave you all a portion of the letter Jim Ryan emailed staff… but read that with this also present in your mind, him wishing off London Studio days before making this announcement.
It is important to provide you with updates about the business as often as possible. Today, I am writing with sad news. Through discussions over the past few months about the evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensuring our organization is future ready in this rapidly changing industry, we have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable. The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce impacting very talented individuals who have contributed to our success.
After careful consideration and many leadership discussions over several months, it has become clear changes need to be made to continue to grow the business and develop the company. We had to step back, look at our business holistically, and move forward focusing on the long-term sustainability of the company and delivering the best experiences possible for our community. The goal is to streamline our resources to ensure our continued success and ability to deliver experiences gamers and creators have come to expect from us.
