The last two years have been marked by massive layoffs in the gaming industry. In 2023, more than 10,000 employees were laid off from gaming companies, but 2024 was even harsher — as reported by the Game Industry Layoffs portal, at least 15,048 people lost their jobs.
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2024 Layoff Statistics by Month
Throughout 2024, we provided detailed monthly updates on the gaming layoffs. According to our observations, January was the worst month of the year, with gaming companies parting ways with over 6,000 employees across 33 rounds of layoffs.
February seemed relatively calm compared to January, with three times fewer layoffs — 2,027 people. Nevertheless, it was the second-highest month of the year in terms of gaming professionals losing their jobs.
April also landed in the top three worst months with 1,178 layoffs.
The least layoffs occurred in July and August, with fewer than 400 people losing their jobs in either month.
Top 5 Gaming Companies by Layoffs in 2024
1. Microsoft — 2,800 people
This year, Microsoft conducted multiple mass layoffs in its gaming division. They first announced these layoffs on January 25, when Microsoft disclosed plans to let go of 1,900 employees, citing the need to restructure Xbox following the acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Four months later, Microsoft closed four studios: Arkane Austin, Alpha Dog Studios, Roundhouse Games, and Tango Gameworks. The latter, however, soon resurrected, but under the South Korean company KRAFTON.
Unfortunately, according to Microsoft management, these measures were insufficient to optimize Xbox. Therefore, in September, it was announced that an additional 650 people would be laid off.
2. Unity — 1,800 people
In 2023, Unity began restructuring its business strategy, focusing more on engine development and monetization solutions. This led to layoffs that continued into 2024. In January, Unity announced it would cut a quarter of its workforce, or 1,800 people.
After January, there were no more large-scale layoffs at Unity.
3. Sony — 1,339 people
Sony began layoffs in its gaming division in February. At the end of the month, it announced plans to cut 900 employees at Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, and other studios, as well as the closure of PlayStation London Studio. Like many others, Sony cited the grim situation in the gaming industry and stated that it needed to cut costs.
Throughout the year, there were also significant layoffs at Bungie, Firewalk Studios, and Neon Koi.
4. Tencent — 862 people
The Chinese holding Tencent owns many gaming companies worldwide. Some of them actively reduced staff throughout 2024.
Riot Games alone said goodbye to 562 employees over two rounds of layoffs. There were also layoffs at Sumo Group, Techland, and many others.
Meanwhile, Timbre Games partially shared the story of Tango Gameworks. In June, Sumo Group announced its closure and the subsequent layoff of 100 people, but three months later the studio reopened for business. Its leaders managed to reclaim the Timbre Games brand and reopened the studio, making it independent.
5. Electronic Arts — 670 people
Layoffs at Electronic Arts (EA) were part of a restructuring that began back in 2023. All the layoffs occurred at the beginning of the year. In February 2024, EA announced it would cut 5% of its workforce or 670 people, affecting developers on projects like Apex Legends from Respawn Entertainment.
It's important to note that the Game Industry Layoffs statistics are incomplete. Not all game companies disclose their numbers, and some don't publicize layoffs at all, with information surfacing through media reports or employee social media posts.