In a message to employees and the public, PlayStation Studios has announced that they are making significant changes. They are cutting jobs and closing a studio, as they believe adapting to the changing industry is necessary. We’ve all heard that excuse before. The company plans to reduce its global workforce by about 8%, affecting around 900 employees.
The restructuring will impact several PlayStation Studios locations and teams. In the United States, studios such as Insomniac Games and Naughty Dog, and technology, creative, and support teams will see layoffs. The impact is more significant in the UK, with the complete closure of London Studio and staff reductions at Guerrilla and Firesprite studios. Additionally, smaller staff reductions are planned for other PlayStation Studios teams globally.
This was announced in two separate news releases. One is with an e-mail from Jim Ryan, President & CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and the other is as a press release. The e-mail sent out to employees is pretty to the point. I’m glad Ryan is so direct; it makes it easy to understand.
More on this: Twisted Metal Live Service Game Canceled By Sony PlayStation
“I want to be as transparent as possible with you, our partners, and our community about what this means:
- We envision reducing our headcount by about 900 people, or about 8% of our current workforce
- There will be impact for employees across all SIE regions – Americas, EMEA, Japan, and APAC
- Several PlayStation Studios are affected
I know that receiving this news will be hard and unsettling and you are wondering what this means for you. Timelines and procedures for how we approach this will vary based on your location due to local laws and regulations.
Jim Ryan
- For those of you in the US, all impacted employees will be notified today.
- In the UK, it is proposed:
- That PlayStation Studios’ London Studio will close in its entirety;
- That there will be reductions in Firesprite studio;
- And that there will be reductions in various functions across SIE in the UK.”
The announcement also states that some ongoing projects have been canceled. There was no clarification on what games, so it may be games that were not announced. PlayStation gave the same excuses and words that many studios give for this. It was unpredictable and that they were dedicated to helping others, and all that.
It’s really disheartening to read this kind of thing so often. Thanks to these layoffs, 900 people will be looking for work. It’s hard enough when you are laid off, but when you need to compete with 899 other people, that’s pretty tough too.
Comments