Game companies have been cutting costs this entire year, and October was no exception. Even the most conservative estimates show that there were over 400 layoffs last month.
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Below are the largest layoffs that occurred in October 2024:
- Sony Interactive Entertainment — 210 employees following the closure of Firewalk Studios and Neon Koi;
- XR Games — 72 employees due to a large-scale restructuring;
- ProbablyMonsters — about 50 employees due to canceling the Battle Barge project;
- Netflix — 35 employees across its video game division (the company also closed its AAA studio);
- Riot Games — 32 employees, including 27 people on the League of Legends team.
It is worth noting that not all companies disclose the number of job cuts. For example, Embracer’s Cryptic Studios laid off staff last month, including several veterans. Tales of Kenzera: Zau developer Surgent Studios put its entire game division on hiatus, with the team currently being on notice of redundancy.
Shortly after the launch of Throne and Liberty, NCSoft announced a corporate split-off, establishing four wholly owned subsidiaries and laying off staff. However, the number of job cuts is also unclear.
Another example is Bandai Namco. According to a recent Bloomberg report, the company has moved around 200 employees into so-called “expulsion rooms” since April, pressuring them to leave voluntarily. Over 100 people have allegedly resigned so far, although Bandai Namco denies using this practice.
In addition, Don’t Nod announced last month that it will be cutting up to 69 jobs in France as part of its restructuring program.
According to Game Industry Layoffs, game companies have already laid off more than 13,000 people in 2024 so far. However, the project doesn’t track all the layoffs and, as we explained above, there is no data on job cuts for some studios, so the total is likely higher.