According to a new report from Irish Examiner, Blizzard Entertainment plans to cut 136 jobs at the office based in Cork, Ireland.
The Tánaiste (deputy head of government), Michéal Martin, confirmed the number of affected employees while speaking in the Dáil. Blizzard reportedly employs about 200 people at its Cork office.
So, if Blizzard goes through with the layoffs, it will cut back on nearly the entire office. Blizzard first established itself in Ireland over a decade ago.
Speaking at the Dáil, People Before Profit TD Mick Barry stated that the company “refuses to engage with the trade union chosen by these workers to represent them”.
Blizzard Entertainment has not issued an official response at this time.
The news closely follows Microsoft’s recent cutbacks, which it made after it acquired Activision. Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees in its video game workforce last month.
There have been many layoffs in the industry lately, and the cutbacks don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Embracer Group in particular has faced backlash from fans for laying off workers at a variety of studios. A financial report released this week that cites plans to “always maximize shareholder value”.
Despite these trends, the FTC later challenged Microsoft for laying off workers after acquiring Activision.
Microsoft defended its decision last week, stating that “Activision was already planning on eliminating a significant number of jobs while still operating as an independent company”.
Last week, an ex-Overwatch 2 VFX artist spoke up against Blizzard for mistreatment and lies about a potential promotion.
Xbox held a major business update yesterday. During the update, Sarah Bond revealed that the Xbox Game Pass will eventually add all of Activision and Blizzard’s games.
For more of the latest Insider Gaming news, you can read about Sony’s potential plans for releasing a new Astro Bot game sometime this year.
