Microsoft will lay off roughly 1,900 people in its gaming division, according to a company memo seen by CNBC. The cuts come in conjunction with Blizzard President Mike Ybarra announcing he would depart the company as well.
In the memo, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that the layoffs were intended to minimize “areas of overlap.” NBC News has not reviewed the memo.
The move comes just over three months after Microsoft closed its acquisition of video game giant Activision Blizzard, which is best known for the games Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, World of Warcraft and Spyro.
In a post on X, Ybarra, who became president of Blizzard in 2022, thanked everyone “who is impacted today for their meaningful contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to players’ lives.”
Although he did not specify how many people had been laid off, he said that it was an “incredibly hard day” and vowed to support those affected by the cuts, adding “this is in no way a reflection on your amazing work.”
“To the Blizzard community: I also want to let you all know today is my last day at Blizzard. Leading Blizzard through an incredible time and being part of the team, shaping it for the future ahead, was an absolute honor,” Ybarra wrote. “Having already spent 20+ years at Microsoft and with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard behind us, it’s time for me to (once again) become Blizzard’s biggest fan from the outside.”
Activision Blizzard and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The layoffs come after a brutal year in the gaming industry, in which some estimated that at least 6,500 people in the field lost their jobs. Some unofficial trackers suggest the count was significantly higher.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
