It looks as if Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick isn’t the only one being shown the door by Microsoft: The company announced in an internal memo that it will be laying off approximately 1,900 employees from the 22,000 in its gaming division, primarily affecting workers at Activision Blizzard as well as some employees at Xbox and ZeniMax, thus shedding about 8 percent of its head count.
According to the memo from Microsoft CEO Phil Spencer, the reduction is once again about cutting costs:
“As we move forward in 2024, the leadership of Microsoft Gaming and Activision Blizzard is committed to aligning on a strategy and an execution plan with a sustainable cost structure that will support the whole of our growing business. Together, we’ve set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we’re all aligned on the best opportunities for growth.”
On the subject of leadership at ActiBlizz, it’s reported that a replacement for Kotick wasn’t named, as “a suite of Activision Blizzard executives now report up to Microsoft’s game content and studios president Matt Booty” instead. Booty’s appointment also sees him overseeing Bethesda, ZeniMax studios, and Activision Blizzard.
This is the second time in as many years that Microsoft has made recent job cuts; the last time was in January of last year, when more than 10,000 employees were laid off.
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