There’s some new bad news for one of the larger companies in the gaming scene. As of reports earlier this week, Activision is apparently gearing up for a round of downsizing that will see hundreds of employees laid off from their jobs. While these reports have not been confirmed, it’s pretty much a guarantee that things like these happen.
According to Bloomberg, the company’s layoffs “could number in the hundreds” as part of the plan, with Activision Blizzard having employed over 9,800 people as of the end of 2017. Overall, Activision’s stock values have also experienced a drop in the past few weeks, with shares reported at a price of $42.88.
These announcements and speculation followed a decline in Activision-Blizzards sales of some of their major properties. Overwatch and Hearthstone saw “flat or declining numbers of users.” Likewise, Destiny 2: Forsaken appeared to have “disappointing sales” from when it debuted last fall, which likely could have contributed to the recent split between Activision and Destiny developer Bungie last month.
And while these reports haven’t come to pass yet and result in layoffs, it’s likely that these layoffs will happen. The games industry is infamous for lacking in job security. And the unfortunate reality is that anyone who has been in the business long enough will have been stung by this trend. It’s unfortunate, but things like this will probably continue to happen.
Source: Bloomberg
