PlayStation Laying Off 900 Employees, Shutters London Studio

You can add PlayStation to the still-growing list of companies in the gaming industry laying off workers. While gamers will tell you the last three years in gaming have been phenomenal, thanks mainly to high-quality video games, the previous two years have not been great for people making them. Heading into 2024, many hoped the video game layoffs would cool following 2023, but that’s not the case, and it seems this year is on pace to make 2023 blush. PlayStation is laying off 900 Sony Interactive Entertainment employees, or 8% of PlayStation’s global workforce, a memo from outgoing PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan revealed. The cuts will affect employees across the Americas, EMEA, Japan, and APAC regions and will see several studios shut down, including PlayStation’s London Studio. “These are incredibly talented people who have been part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions,” Ryan said in the memo, shared by Variety. “However, the industry has changed immensely, and we need to future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead. We need to deliver on expectations from developers and gamers and continue to propel future technology in gaming, so we took a step back to ensure we are set up to continue bringing the best gaming experiences to the community.”

Social Media Reacts

As expected, social media is not feeling the news and is pointing to the massive game sales from the likes of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. However, the studio behind the game, Insomniac Games, is still experiencing layoffs. One user on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is PlayStation’s fastest-selling first-party game ever, and just crossed 10 million copies sold earlier this month…and yet, Insomniac Games is going through layoffs. This industry is not okay.” Isabel Foley, the now former associate art manager for the now-shuttered London Studio, expressed her sadness after being a victim of the layoffs while putting out feelers in hopes of landing a new job. “I have nothing to say. I’m in tears. I am looking for a new job I guess so please reach out. I’m numb and once settled I may have more to say.” Foley continued, “I am really grateful for all your well wishes already, I will get back to you but my god this is fresh. I am looking for roles in external development/ art management and production. Thank you all. Me and LS will get through this.” Damn. Head here to read the “difficult news” about Sony’s workforce. You can see more reactions to the horrible news in the gallery below.

1. So terrible

2. Wow

3. Some context

4. Damn

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