The tech giant purchased video game publisher Activision Blizzard for $69 billion three months ago
Microsoft is set to eliminate approximately 1,900 positions at Activision Blizzard and Xbox this week, as stated in an internal memo from the head of the company’s gaming division.
The layoffs account for approximately 9% of Microsoft’s Gaming division, which has a workforce of around 22,000 employees. Most of the job reductions are expected to occur at video game publisher Activision Blizzard. Additionally, the president of the subsidiary, Mike Ybarra, is departing from the company.
Microsoft has not yet responded to a request from Reuters for comment.
“I want to express my gratitude to all those affected today for their significant contributions to their teams, to Blizzard, and to the lives of players,” Ybarra wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “To the Blizzard community: I also want to inform you that today is my final day at Blizzard.”
In October, Microsoft completed its $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, enhancing its presence in the video game market with popular titles like Call of Duty, in a bid to compete more effectively with industry leader Sony.
This development comes amid job reductions at several other major companies, including Alphabet, eBay, and Amazon, indicating that the extensive downsizing observed across the tech industry last year will persist in 2024. Microsoft itself laid off 10,000 employees last year.
