Sony Interactive Entertainment to lay off 8% of its workforce, or around 900 people, London Studio closes

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PlayStation Studios are affected

Sony Interactive Entertainment's latest fiscal report certainly showed a decline following declining sales of the PS5, but it is difficult to justify this wave of dismissals simply through this prism. Sony announces it directly on its official site via Jim Ryan, one of whose latest decisions is probably his worst (even if it probably comes from above). Here is what he says:

“ We have taken the extremely difficult decision to announce our intention to begin reducing our overall global workforce by approximately 8%, or approximately 900 people, subject to local legislation and consultation processes. Employees around the world, including in our studios, are affected. These are incredibly talented people who have contributed to our success and we are very grateful for their contribution. However, the industry has changed enormously and we need to prepare for the future to prepare the business for what lies ahead. We must meet the expectations of developers and players and continue to highlight future technologies in gaming. So we've taken a step back to make sure we're ready to continue delivering the best gaming experiences to the community. »

You would have understood it, with 900 people in the sights, no one is safe. This measure concerns all SIE staff throughout the world, but more particularly London Studio, which is being completely closed. The studio was currently working on a PS5 game oriented towards online cooperation, which will therefore probably never see the light of day.

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Firesprite, who joined PlayStation Studios in 2021, will also see his workforce reduced. This studio was working on a horror game, and we do not know if this project is also in danger. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier also points out that dismissals are planned within Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, and Insomniac Games. Either the studios behind The Last of Us, Horizon And Marvel's Spider-Manwhich are nevertheless commercial hits and which bring in big money for the PS5.

What more can we say except to show sad dismay at these measures which undoubtedly could have been avoided, and at the cynicism of the large companies in the sector who often lay off exactly between 8% and 12%? to stay agile “. The refrain is repeated too much and could be copied and pasted from one company to another. The industry is on its last legs, and so is the public.

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