It’s a rocky time for the gaming and esports industries. At present, several of the biggest names in the business are facing tough financial circumstances that have given rise to the need to make mass layoffs. As the economical climate of the world tightens, the impact is being felt far and wide across the gaming industry at large.
From delayed and cancelled projects to a lack of investment, and from mass redundancies to obviously failing development cycles, the industry is being hit hard at the moment. Recently, Riot Games stepped out and revealed that it too would be joining the list of firms making layoffs as it declared the release of almost fifty members of staff.
The Waves Keep Rolling
In recent days, we’ve discussed the fact that 10,000 employees are set to be made redundant at Microsoft. It was confirmed that these layoffs are across a broad spectrum and that they will certainly impact employees working within both Bethesda Game Studios and 343 Industries.
How this will affect the ongoing development of Starfield and the upkeep of Halo Infinite, it’s not yet known, but 343i did stress that the redundancies there shouldn’t impact the multiplayer portion of its flagship franchise.
There’s also disruption of another kind taking place at the moment within the likes of Ubisoft. Following the cancellation of several projects and a general sense of unease amongst employees, a strike has been scheduled in the Paris studio as a sign of protest.
Hours ago, the news broke that Riot Games would be joining the list of developers currently suffering under the weight of redundancies. In a statement, Riot Games explained why almost fifty members of staff now find themselves out of work:
Riot Games implemented strategic shifts within a few teams to sharpen our focus in a number of areas. … We periodically make changes to our structure and our teams based on what we believe will allow us to deliver the best content and experiences for players.
Spokesperson from Riot Games
Riot Games is best known for its production of the likes of League of Legends and VALORANT, two of the most important esports titles in the space. At the moment, the statement made by Riot rings true, as no financial distress seems to be occurring, given that there are far more than 100 vacancies at the company that are actively looking to be filled.
Regardless, it is the latest in a long line of disruptions to the industry. Toward the end of 2022, there were layoffs at CD Projekt, the masters behind The Witcher, and just days ago, almost 300 jobs were eliminated from Unity, the producers of one of the most popular game engines in the world.
As the saying goes, ‘this too shall pass’, but the ongoing disruption is by no means a pleasant thing to witness as either a fan of gaming or an employee of the industry.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of all the Ubisoft games expected to launch in 2023.
