Activision-Blizzard Lays Off Employees From E-Sports And Live Events

Activision Blizzard employees have just experienced another round of layoffs across various departments. According to a report by Bloomberg, less than 2% of the company’s total workforce was affected which equates to fewer than 190 employees, with 50 of them working in departments related to e-Sports and live events.

The dismissals are part of the company’s plans to shift away from live in-person events, which have been almost non-existent since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic early last year.

“Players are increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally, and the e-Sports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment, and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events,” a spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Affected employees will receive 90 days’ severance pay, health benefits for a year, job transition support, and $200 Battle.net gift cards.

This is the third round of Activision Blizzard layoffs in as many years. In 2019, Activision Blizzard controversially fired 800 employees after announcing record earnings from the previous fiscal year. The company also shut down their studio in Versailles, France back in October which was then followed by the dismissal of 30 employees in marketing, publishing, and press relations in the Asia-Pacific region a little over a month later.

In spite of canceled events, the poor performance of BlizzConline compared to previous shows, the recent layoffs, and the lingering pandemic, the company is still looking optimistically at 2021 with plans to bring in 3,000 new employees into the company by the end of 2021.