Layoffs have hit Sony Interactive Entertainment, with PlayStation set to lose 900 employees — about 8% of its headcount. The biggest casualty is London Studio, which is being shut down entirely. The SingStar developer was in operation for 22 years, and was working on a PS5 multiplayer game.
PlayStation layoffs are the latest to hit the games industry
The games industry has been undergoing mass layoffs for a year now, with thousands of jobs (and counting) gutted across a large number of companies. It was only recently that Microsoft announced redundancies across its gaming division.
“The industry has changed immensely, and we need to future ready ourselves to set the business up for what lies ahead,” Sony said in a corporate blog explaining the layoffs. “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.”
SIE employees across all regions around the globe have been impacted. In the UK, developer Firesprite will also undergo layoffs, and meanwhile in Japan, Sony will be running a career support program for affected employees. Sony has also pledged general support and severance for everyone affected around the globe.
