Over 6,100 Video Game Job Cuts Declared in First Month of 2024
- Rise in video game industry layoffs in 2023, over 6,000 jobs lost.
- Expectations of increased layoffs in 2024.
- Reported layoffs at VR games developer Archiact and Bossa Studios.
- Massive layoffs at Unity Software and Twitch.
- Playtika and Discord also plan significant layoffs.
Video Game Industry Layoffs Becoming More Common
In recent years, the video game industry has seen an unfortunate rise in layoffs. In 2023, job cuts became a near-weekly occurrence across the sector. By the end of the year, over 6,000 jobs had been eliminated in various video game companies, including publishers and developers.
Regrettably, early indications suggest that 2024 could surpass the previous year's layoffs.
Tracking Layoffs in the Video Game Industry
With the start of 2024 marked by significant layoffs both in large and small companies, it seems the trend is not slowing down. Streamers Visuals intends to monitor and report on the layoffs throughout the year. We hope that these updates will be minimal.
Recent Layoffs in the Video Game Industry
On January 4, 2024, the first reported layoffs occurred at VR games developer Archiact. The company, renowned for its Doom 3 VR port, announced on social media that an unspecified number of staff had been laid off.
On January 5, 2024, Bossa Studios confirmed the layoff of 19 employees, primarily in QA and production roles. This news came late but had actually happened in late 2023.
On January 8, 2024, a significant round of layoffs was reported at Unity Software, with plans to cut nearly 25% of its staff. This is reportedly the largest round of layoffs in the software company’s history, and it is expected to be completed by the end of March.
On January 9, 2024, it was reported that Twitch was preparing to lay off about 35% of its total staff, or 500 employees, by the end of January. Twitch had also laid off hundreds of employees in the previous year.
On January 11, 2024, Playtika announced plans to lay off up to 400 employees, or about 10% of the company’s total workforce. Playtika had previously laid off 900 employees in 2022.
Also on January 11, 2024, it was reported that Discord was planning to lay off around 17% of the company’s total staff.
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