The Layoffs Also Extend to the Company’s Irvine Location, Where 140 Jobs Are Set to Be Eliminated
Video game giant Activision Blizzard is set to lay off hundreds of workers at its Santa Monica and Playa Vista locations next month as part of its parent company Microsoft Corp.’s broader cost-cutting measures, according to reports.
Activision Blizzard, headquartered in Santa Monica, notified the state of California on Sept. 12 that it would be laying off 110 employees from its Santa Monica facility by December, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. In addition, 143 employees at its Playa Vista location will be let go starting in November. The job cuts are part of Microsoft’s decision to reduce its gaming workforce by 3%, or about 650 employees globally, the Times reported.
The layoffs also extend to the company’s Irvine location, where 140 jobs are set to be eliminated, as part of a total of nearly 400 positions across its Southern California operations. The cuts primarily affect employees in mobile gaming divisions and corporate roles, such as accountants, software engineers, game designers, and artists, according to siliconvalley.com.
In an internal email, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer indicated that the layoffs are part of restructuring efforts following Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard last year, the largest deal in video game history, according to Variety. He noted that most of the positions being cut are in “corporate and supporting functions,”
