Machine Zone has cut about 125 employees. According to VentureBeat sources, employees responsible for marketing campaigns and user engagement have been hit by a wave of layoffs.
In particular, part of the internal team responsible for advertising Game of War, Mobile Strike and Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire has been fired. Also, all employees of the Cognant division of MZ, who worked with the involvement of players in other people’s projects, lost their jobs. Cognant has also been marketing Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire.
Top managers explained this decision by saying that MZ needs to change the priorities of profit sources. So, the team working with the involvement of Facebook users remained in place – this social network will be the main place to get new players.
It is still unknown how the company’s strategy will change. Previously, MZ promoted its games, including buying one of the most valuable advertising slots in the world – advertising during the American Super Bowl. In the commercial for Game of War, the company used the model Kate Upton, and the face of Mobile Strike was Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Videos, of course, became viral, and on Facebook, Twitter and other popular resources, users were already waiting for banners with calls to install the same game with Kate Upton.
Recall that Game of War in 2015 demonstrated record figures for the ARPPU metric – the average income from a paying user. For the game, it was $550 a year.
Also on the topic:
- Accountant from California spent $1 million employer on Game of War
- Machine Zone spent $4.5 million on TV ads
A source: VentureBeat