Activision To Lay Off 8% Of Its 9,600 Workforce Or 800 Employees
At face value, making a statement that you're laying off just 8% of your workforce seems somewhat pedestrian until you realize 800 people are now without a job...
The news of layoffs at Activision had been looming for weeks as the gaming publisher recently severed ties with Bungie and saw its stock price drop. However, the news of an 8% reduction in Activision's workforce is even more galling when it's delivered right after declaring a "record year" for the company.
Calling it "consolidating" and "restructuring", Activision CEO Bobby Kotick confirmed the layoffs while on an earings call with investors. Later that afternoon, those Activision employees being let go received their notice. Cuts were said to hit especially hard within Activision's eSports department.
On the positive side, a severance package and continued healthcare coverage was confirmed by Blizzard president J. Allen Brack in an internal note to employees that was leaked to Kotaku.
Similar cuts are expected to be made at Activision's many international facilities.