PlayStation Lays Off 900 Employees, London Studio Shut Down - News

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Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it is laying off eight percent of its staff or about 900 employees. Studios in the US and Europe have been impacted by the layoffs.

London Studio has been entirely shut down, which was developing an online cooperative combat game for the PlayStation 5.

In the US, Insomniac Games, Naughty Dog, and Technology, Creative, and Support teams have been hit with layoffs. In Europe, Guerrilla Games and Firesprite have been hit with reductions. There are also some smaller layoffs at other teams at PlayStation Studios.

"The PlayStation community means everything to us, so I felt it was important to update you on a difficult day at our company," said Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan. "We have made the extremely hard decision to announce our plan to commence a reduction of our overall headcount globally by about 8% or about 900 people, subject to local law and consultation processes. Employees across the globe, including our studios, are impacted.  

"These are incredibly talented people who have been part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions. However, the industry has changed immensely, and we need to future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead. We need to deliver on expectations from developers and gamers and continue to propel future technology in gaming, so we took a step back to ensure we are set up to continue bringing the best gaming experiences to the community."

Head of PlayStation Studios Herman Hulst added, " PlayStation 5 is in its fourth year, and we are at a stage where we need to step back and look at what our business needs. At the same time, our industry has experienced continuing and fundamental change which affects how we all create, and play, games. 

"Delivering the immersive, narrative-driven stories that PlayStation Studios is known for, at the quality bar that we aspire to, requires a re-evaluation of how we operate. 

Delivering and sustaining social, online experiences – allowing PlayStation gamers to explore our worlds in different ways – as well as launching games on additional devices such as PC and Mobile, requires a different approach and different resources. 

"To take on these challenges, PlayStation Studios had to grow. We have brought brilliant and successful Studios into our family. We have invested in new technology and partnerships. We have recruited talent from across our industry and beyond. 

"But growth itself is not an ambition. PlayStation Studios is committed to continually discovering ways to work together; collaborating and combining our efforts to ensure that we are able to craft games that push the boundaries of play and deliver what you expect from us.  

"We looked at our studios and our portfolio, evaluating projects in various stages of development, and have decided that some of those projects will not move forward. I want to be clear that the decision to stop work on these projects is not a reflection on the talent or passion of team members. 

"Our philosophy has always been to allow creative experimentation. Sometimes, great ideas don’t become great games. Sometimes, a project is started with the best intentions before shifts within the market or industry result in a change of plan."

Read the full email from Jim Ryan sent to employees below:

Email 

Subject: Important Update Regarding Organizational Restructuring 

Team, 

It is important to provide you with updates about the business as often as possible. Today, I am writing with sad news. Through discussions over the past few months about the evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensuring our organization is future ready in this rapidly changing industry, we have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable. The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce impacting very talented individuals who have contributed to our success.  

After careful consideration and many leadership discussions over several months, it has become clear changes need to be made to continue to grow the business and develop the company. We had to step back, look at our business holistically, and move forward focusing on the long-term sustainability of the company and delivering the best experiences possible for our community. The goal is to streamline our resources to ensure our continued success and ability to deliver experiences gamers and creators have come to expect from us.  

I want to be as transparent as possible with you, our partners, and our community about what this means:  

• • We envision reducing our headcount by about 900 people, or about 8% of our current workforce 
  • There will be impact for employees across all SIE regions – Americas, EMEA, Japan, and APAC  
  • Several PlayStation Studios are affected 

I know that receiving this news will be hard and unsettling and you are wondering what this means for you. Timelines and procedures for how we approach this will vary based on your location due to local laws and regulations.

• • For those of you in the US, all impacted employees will be notified today.  
  • In the UK, it is proposed:  
    • That PlayStation Studios’ London Studio will close in its entirety;
    • That there will be reductions in Firesprite studio;  
    • And that there will be reductions in various functions across SIE in the UK.

The proposed changes mean that we will enter a period of collective consultation before any final decisions are taken. All employees who are part of the collective consultation will be made aware of the next steps today.  

• • In Japan, we will implement a next career support program. Details will be communicated separately.  
  • In other countries, we will begin conversations with those who are potentially at risk or impacted as a result of this proposed course of action.  

For those who will be leaving SIE: You are leaving this company with our deepest respect and appreciation for all your efforts during your tenure. 

For those who will be staying at SIE: We will be saying goodbye to friends and colleagues that we cherish during this process, and this will be painful. Your resilience, sensitivity, and adaptiveness will be critical in the weeks and months to come.     

This will not be easy, and I am aware of the impact it will have on wellbeing. Affected employees will receive support, including severance benefits. While these are challenging times, it is not indicative of a lack of strength of our company, our brand, or our industry. Our goal is to remain agile and adaptable and to continue to focus on delivering the best gaming experiences possible now and in the future. 

Thank you for your understanding during this difficult period. Please be kind to yourselves and to each other. 

Jim 

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.

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