After several months of relative calm, the number of layoffs in the gaming industry has risen again. According to estimates by the monitoring site Game Industry Layoffs, 1009 gaming professionals lost their jobs in September.
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In the last instance of mass layoffs, gaming companies let go of more than a thousand employees in April, with 1178 people being affected. According to Game Industry Layoffs, January remains the largest month for layoffs in 2024, with 6,000 people losing their jobs at once.
Since the beginning of the year, gaming companies have separated from 13,022 employees, according to the site.
Top 5 gaming companies by number of employees laid off in September:
1. Microsoft — 650 people;
2. Lost Boys Interactive — 139 people;
3. Tilting Point — 90 people;
4. Midwinter Entertainment — 35 people (the studio has closed);
5. Neon Machine — 35 people.
It is important to remember that there are gaps in the data provided by Game Industry Layoffs, so the actual number of layoffs could be higher. For instance, the site listed Midnight Society among the companies that downsized in September but did not specify how many of its employees lost their jobs. Moreover, only part of the information is sourced from official channels. Since not all companies publicize layoffs or disclose their statistics openly, Game Industry Layoffs sometimes gathers information from media outlets and social networks.