- Sony has decided to lay off over 900 employees which is 8% of the company's total workforce.
- Sony's London Studios will also shut down amidst the turmoil.
- CEO Jim Ryan took responsibility for this heavy decision.
PlayStation has amassed goodwill for its high-budget exclusives, so much so that they’ve formed a collective called PlayStation Studios. Unfortunately, it seems that no studio can ignore the pains of the current market situation. Now, it seems that Sony is joining the list of publishers laying off its employees.
The news came on 27 February 2024 when Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan shared it on the newsroom blog. The blog mentions 900 people losing their jobs. This is 8% of the company’s total workforce. Furthermore, the Sony London Studio will shut down amidst the layoffs. Jim Ryan mentions that the decision was made to ensure the business growth and development of the company for the future.
Over on X (formerly Twitter), Jim Ryan shared the unfortunate news through a post. He took sole responsibility for the workforce reduction. He further reiterated that no one in the top-level management was responsible for this.
Studios like Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, and Guerilla Games have also been impacted. According to the Bloomberg report, around 40 employees will get cut off from Guerilla Games. Furthermore, PlayStation has started canceling multiple in-development projects. Some of these include a Twisted Metal live-service game. This was in development by Firesprite Studios, one of the impacted development houses.
Our heart goes out to everyone affected by these layoffs at Sony, and we hope people affected can quickly get back on their feet. Unfortunately, an industry lauded for its record-breaking profits has some of the highest numbers of layoffs in the current year. And it seems it will worsen over the next couple of years.
What do you think about Sony’s decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
