2023 was a disappointing year for layoffs and looks like 2024 is continuing that trend. The gaming industry has some shakes already, and thus this isn’t a nice sign at all. Regrettably, within the first month of 2024, more than 5,000 workers in the games industry have already experienced job losses. So, let us see the list of companies and the layoffs or shut downs that happened within them in 2024 that come across as an upset in the gaming industry.
Gaming Industry Layoffs in 2024
From major studios to smaller game development teams, be it mobile or AAA studios, the industry experienced shifts that captured attention and sparked discussions. For the same, we can consider the industry dynamics, economic factors, and any official statements from the companies involved. So, below are the details you need to know about the layoffs in 2024.
Company | Date | Layoffs | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Archiact | Jan 4, 2024 | Unknown | Layoffs announced at VR games developer Archiact, with the company providing support through reverse recruiting. |
Bossa Studios | Jan 5, 2024 | 19 | 19 layoffs at Bossa Studios, primarily in QA and production roles as well as non-UK employees. |
Unity | Jan 8, 2024 | 1,800 | Unity confirmed plans to cut nearly 25% of its staff by the end of March, marking the largest layoffs in its history. |
Twitch | Jan 9, 2024 | 500 | Twitch also lay off 500 employees, around 35% of its total staff. |
Behaviour Interactive | Jan 9-11, 2024 | 45 | Behaviour Interactive reportedly laid off about 45 people in its Montreal studio, affecting various departments. |
Playtika | Jan 11, 2024 | 300-400 | Playtika went for a lay off of close to 10% of its workforce. |
Discord | Jan 11, 2024 | 170 | Discord laid off around 17% of its total staff, citing the need to sharpen focus and improve agility. |
PTW | Jan 11, 2024 | 45 | PTW laid off about 45 people, mostly QA staffers, citing the need to reduce the workforce in several countries. |
Lost Boys Interactive | Jan 12, 2024 | 125 | Layoffs at Gearbox-owned Lost Boys Interactive, affecting various disciplines, confirmed former producer via LinkedIn post. |
Funselektor | Jan 12, 2024 | 3 | Canadian indie studio Funselektor laid off three developers. |
Double Loop Games | Jan 15, 2024 | Unknown | Double Loop Games shuts down, with the closure announced by Emily Greer, co-founder, in a post on LinkedIn. |
Netspeak Games | Jan 16, 2024 | 25 | Netspeak Games confirmed laying off 25 people, citing the need to adapt its structure in the challenging gaming industry. |
Thunderful | Jan 17, 2024 | 100-105 | Thunderful Group announced a restructuring plan, including laying off 20% of its workforce out of 525 current. |
Pixelberry Studios | Jan 17, 2024 | Unknown | Nexon-owned Pixelberry Studios cut an unknown number of employees, as confirmed by a former employee. |
Wimo Games | Jan 17, 2024 | 35 | Austin-based Wimo Games closed its doors, laying off 35 people, confirms a former employee via LinkedIn post. |
CI Games | Jan 18, 2024 | 15-20 | CI Games cuts off around 10% of its staff, impacting employees at Hexworks and Underdog. |
31st Union | Jan 18, 2024 | <10 | 31st Union laid off less than 10 employees, as part of ongoing efforts to support the studio. |
Com2uS | Jan 18, 2024 | Unknown | Com2uS laid off a two-digit number of employees, optimizing projects due to market and management conditions. |
NCSoft | Jan 18, 2024 | 70 | NCSoft shut down subsidiary Ntreev Soft and laid all 70 of its employees. |
Netmarble F&C | Jan 19, 2024 | 70 | Netmarble laid off about 70 people in its metaverse-focused subsidiary, citing the need to streamline and cut costs. |
Little Red Dog Games | Jan 22, 2024 | 27 | Little Red Dog Games shut down, affecting 27 people, with the COO confirming with his LinkedIn post. |
Riot Games | Jan 22, 2024 | 530 | Riot Games announced cutting 11% of its workforce, primarily due to winding down Riot Forge and reducing Legends of Runeterra development. |
One Player Mission | Jan 23, 2024 | 15 | OPM announced its closure, affecting 15 employees, due to challenges in the games industry. |
Reikon Games | Jan 23, 2024 | 60-70 | Reikon Games laid off about 60 to 70 people, around 56% of the total company, citing budget limitations and a sudden reduction in scope for their next game. |
WarDucks | Jan 23, 2024 | 10 | Mobile game developer WarDucks ended its journey after going out of business. |
People Can Fly | Jan 24, 2024 | 30+ | People Can Fly laid off over 30 people, citing budget limitations and a shrinking scope for their unannounced game, Project Gemini. |
Black Forest Games | Jan 24, 2024 | 50 | Black Forest Games cut roughly 50% of its workforce, affecting about 55 employees, with more information promised next week. |
Microsoft | Jan 25, 2024 | 1,900 | Microsoft laid off 1,900 people, approximately 8.6% of its gaming workforce, across various gaming businesses, including Xbox, Activision Blizzard, and ZeniMax. |
The list will be updated as announcements come further, although we wish it doesn’t since people losing the jobs they love in an industry beaming with creativity is not a good sight.
Final Thoughts
Well, to sum things up, the layoffs in the gaming industry in 2024 just paint a picture that not every day is sunny, there will be moments of gloom too. The industry does give out some interesting ideas, yes, but there are times when things don’t work out for either party, the players as well as the developers, and hence we can see both mobile game shut downs and closure of studios in more numbers.
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While the news of layoffs can be discouraging, these are things that sometimes cannot be avoided. The decisions need to be taken, either to bring better products or cut losses and move on. Hopefully, as I mentioned earlier, this is the end of what we know as the damaging process of layoffs and further progress as a whole so that there will be no more layoffs.
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