Some company news has occurred, and this time it pertains to Microsoft’s Xbox division, which last year finalized the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and will soon extend its support for Nintendo platforms. In a communication from Xbox and Microsoft game boss Phil Spencer (via IGN), it has been disclosed that 1,900 positions out of the 22,000 roles have been eliminated. This encompasses numerous roles within ZeniMax (Bethesda) and Activision Blizzard. This action aligns with the company’s “strategy and management plan with a fixed cost” to support the overall growing business. Phil Spencer shared: “It’s been three months since Activision, Blizzard, and King joined forces with Microsoft. As we progress in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard are committed to aligning the strategy and management plan to be and sustainable value that will support our entire growing business. Together, we have set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we are all aligned on the best opportunities for growth. As part of this process, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our gaming workforce by approximately 1,900 positions of the 22,000. The people directly affected by these cuts have all played a vital role in the success of Activision Blizzard, ZeniMax, and the Xbox teams, and should be proud of everything they have achieved here. We are grateful for all the feedback, interest, and commitment they bring to our games, our players, and our teammates. We will provide full support to those affected during this transition, including severance benefits in accordance with applicable local laws. Those whose positions will be affected will be notified, and we ask that you treat your departing colleagues with respect and compassion, which is consistent with our values. Looking ahead, we will continue to invest in areas that will grow our business and support our strategy of bringing more games to players around the world. Although this is a difficult time for our team, I have as much confidence as ever in your ability to create and promote games, stories, and worlds that bring players together.” On the same day as this announcement, Microsoft achieved a market value of $3 trillion for the first time in its history, placing it behind Apple as the second company to do so. This is in part due to decisions made by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to acquire and invest in AI and ‘Copilot’ and Games and IPs like Minecraft over the last decade. This recent reduction follows a series of other layoffs earlier this year, a trend observed in other companies as well. Bethesda and Activision Blizzard have been responsible for releasing games on Nintendo Switch such as Minecraft Legends, Overwatch 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Diablo, affirming the commitment to Nintendo users. Moreover, a deal has been made to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms for the next 10 years. More details about Microsoft’s recent reduction can be found on our Pure Xbox page. Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube How do you feel about all this? Leave a comment below.
[source ign.com]
When he’s not paying off Tom Nook, Liam likes to talk about the latest Nintendo news and admire his video game library. Nintendo’s favorite character was a guitar-playing dog, but these days he likes to hang out with Judd the cat.
