Amir Satvat’s Post

Game Cookies: Industry Layoffs and Resilience 🍪 Hello gaming enthusiasts and industry watchers! Here are today's key updates from the gaming world, focusing on the recent layoffs and the resilience of Japanese developers. Let's dive in! 🍪 Ubisoft Has Laid Off Staff In Its Toronto Office 🍪 Ubisoft recently conducted layoffs affecting 33 team members at its Toronto office. The company described this move as a “targeted realignment” to ensure it can meet future goals. "Ubisoft Toronto has decided to conduct a targeted realignment to ensure it can deliver on its ambitious roadmap. Unfortunately, this will impact the roles of 33 team members who will be leaving Ubisoft. We are committed to providing comprehensive support to them, including severance and career assistance, to help through this transition." 🥠 Layoffs are always difficult, but targeted realignments can sometimes be necessary to stay on course. Let's hope Ubisoft supports its affected employees effectively during this transition. 🍪 Why are Japanese Developers Not Undergoing Mass Layoffs? 🍪 Unlike their Western counterparts, Japanese game developers have largely avoided mass layoffs. Industry experts suggest this resilience could be due to different business practices, a stronger focus on long-term employment, and cultural factors that prioritize job security. Japanese companies often emphasize stability and gradual growth, contrasting with the more volatile approaches seen in Western firms. This cultural and business model difference has helped Japanese developers maintain a steadier workforce despite industry fluctuations. 🥠 It's interesting to see how different business practices can impact job security in the gaming industry. Japanese developers' focus on stability and long-term growth might be a model worth examining. Stay tuned, keep exploring, and remember: Stability and strategic realignment are key in the ever-evolving gaming industry. 🍪 Don't forget to share this post and click the bell 🔔 on my profile to stay updated with the latest news!

IGN recently released an article where they attempted to decipher the reasons behind the layoffs suffered during 2023 and 2024 in the video game industry. It's a delicate topic, and obviously, there are differing opinions across the internet. And although many people have tried to pinpoint a culprit, in the end, there are many factors at play that can trigger such events. Not everything is black and white, and while I largely agree with the article, I know there are many global factors that could have also been addressed and obviously substantially affect the situation. I think more articles like this are needed. It's necessary for companies to be honest and talk about why they end up in such situations to identify a common factor that the industry can address to avoid these kinds of situations in the future. Just as it's important to study history to avoid past mistakes, I believe it's also important to gather current events as soon as possible and heed the signals so that we don't have to find solutions to same problems in 10 or 15 years. https://lnkd.in/ePxXxxiW #layoffs #gamedev #epicgames #riotgames

The gaming industry's layoff crisis continues to escalate, leaving a trail of uncertainty in its wake. Ubisoft's recent decision to cut a further 45 jobs adds to the over 10,500 jobs lost in the industry in 2023 alone. This follows the closure of Smilegate Barcelona, Nintendo's restructuring of its testing department, and Sega's sale of the acclaimed Relic Entertainment studio. We had the opportunity to discuss about this subject with Richard Lalancette during our interview, about how studios are struggling with the layoffs, how people from the gaming industry are afraid of losing their jobs... For a deeper analysis of the factors driving these layoffs and their potential impact on the industry, read Geekin's latest article from the link below. #gamingindustry #layoffs #ubisoft #nintendo #sega

In the year 2023 alone, an estimated 10,000 employees in the gaming industry lost their jobs. Approximately 6,000 more are expected to join them this year. The article provides an intriguing glimpse, delving behind the scenes of the gaming industry. https://lnkd.in/eg-G9PPF #layoffs #gamingindustry

6 days post Activision Blizzard/Microsoft layoffs. The initial wave of anger and sadness is gradually subsiding. I genuinely cannot express how grateful I am for the overwhelming support that has surrounded me during this challenging time. The outpouring of messages, LinkedIn posts, recommendations, and text messages from both colleagues and industry professionals has been truly remarkable. Your collective support has been a beacon of light in a period of uncertainty, turning what felt like defeat into a resurgence of strength. Last week, I witnessed the depth of relationships that will endure a lifetime, and I am truly honored to be part of such a supportive community. This phase of post-layoffs serves as an opportunity to hit the reset button. ➡ I now have the luxury of devoting more time to my schoolwork- saying farewell to those late-night study sessions! ➡I am cherishing the chance to nurture my relationships with friends and family. ➡My dogs are reveling in my newfound freedom, enjoying at least two walks a day! ➡Self-care is no longer sidelined; I now have the luxury of time to prioritize it. In the grand scheme of things, I believe everything happens for a reason. The learnings from my time at Activision are invaluable, and I am profoundly grateful for the nearly two years of growth and experience. Now, my focus shifts to what lies ahead, and I couldn't be more excited about the future! #openforwork

My heart goes out to all my former colleagues at High Moon Studios and Activision during this lay-off period. I can only imagine the hardship and uncertainty that these talented individuals are experiencing. It's devastating to see people leave their families, friends, and home to move to the office only to be laid off a few months later. Activision's decision to have all employees return to the office last year has caused a lot of distress. It forced people who have been working remotely for over three years to move to their respective studios, some of which weren't large enough to fit all their employees. And now, some of those people have been laid off. What was the point of making everyone come back to the office? These layoffs are unforgivable. High Moon Studios has made significant contributions to some of the most successful maps in Call of Duty history. Microsoft's layoffs cut out some of the people who brought ATVI that success, and I know some of them personally. This is a reminder that corporations, no matter how much they preach about being a family and caring about each other, are ultimately driven by profit. Let's not forget that. To anyone affected by these layoffs, I want to extend a helping hand. If you're looking for work, please send me your information, resume, and credentials. I'll do everything I can to help. https://lnkd.in/d7kCeQQN

🚨 The video game industry is facing a challenging year, with over 10,000 layoffs already in 2024, nearly matching the total for all of 2023. Major contributors include Activision Blizzard, Unity, and Microsoft. This trend highlights ongoing volatility and restructuring within the sector, impacting thousands of professionals. Companies like Embracer are finalizing their restructuring, but the industry's stability remains (perhaps) uncertain. 😶 #GamingIndustry #GamingNews #Challenge #Layoffs

Ubisoft claims the restructure is part of a “targeted realignment” that aims to align with the company’s ambitious future plans. If your #job has been affected by a company wide restructure, read more to find out what your rights are. #SamfiruTumarkin #EmploymentLawyer #Employees #Jobs #Canada #Termination #Severance #Compensation

After reporting on that this morning, the story has garnered more traction, so here is my post of support to the people at Activision Blizzard's Irish office located in Blackpool, Cork, affected by layoffs today - 136 job cuts, about 70% of the entire 200-person office in Ireland. To those affected by these layoffs, this message is to you: You are not at fault. You did not cause this. You are amazing. You will get through this. You will find a new, better job! To support the ones affected, as well as the over 11,000 affected from last year and the over 7,600 affected already this year, please find a comprehensive list of resources, just for you: 🥇 The Ultimate list of Video Games Career Resources: This should be your one-stop shop for all information. My dear friend Amir Satvat maintains these documents, he is a legend for doing this - please check them out: https://amirsatvat.com/ 🥈 Second, Discipline Games Jobs Resources: Over the past weeks I have created 7 (at time of writing) Games Jobs Resources to find jobs in a wide range of disciplines: 🎨 Art, Animation, VFX and UI: This resource contains around 1,000 jobs worldwide across all links. Link: https://lnkd.in/eKAHK7VF ⚙ Engineering and Programming: This resource lists just over 1,200 jobs worldwide across all links. It also talks about interview tips and questions to practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eW2j_Vyi 🕹 Quality Assurance: This resource lists over 300 QA jobs worldwide. This post also talks about the craft of QA in gaming and contains tips and interview practice. Link: https://lnkd.in/eBU3AdFB 📑 Game Production: This resource lists around 350 jobs worldwide. It also contains info about game production as a whole and GDC talks. Link: https://lnkd.in/ePQBjT-d 📢 Marketing & Community: This resource lists around 400 jobs worldwide. It also gives an intro into game marketing and community management. Link: https://lnkd.in/er35bXMA 🎶 Audio and Sound Design: This resource lists around 160 jobs worldwide. This post also links to the "Bible of getting a Job in Game Audio" by my good friend Florian Ardelean, so check it out. Link: https://lnkd.in/eSpakqxD 📠 Studio Support, HR, Recruitment and BizDev Job Boards: This resource lists around 250 jobs worldwide. Link: https://lnkd.in/ee97UZCc 🥉 Third, do not give up. Ever. No matter how dark things may look right now, I KNOW you will get through this, you have got this! 👊 Remember you are not alone. If you need help, advice, or even an ear to listen, we're here for you. Always! ➡ A request to my community, please can I ask you to repost this post to your colleagues and friends, so that we can get as many into jobs as possible! And please comment if you or your studio are currently hiring - let's help each other! Much love ❤️ #layoffs #gamesindustry #jobsingames #activisionblizzard (original story: https://lnkd.in/er8rYjQz)