PlayStation to axe 900 jobs and close London studio to 'future ready' itself
27 February 2024, 19:07
PlayStation is axing 900 jobs and closing its London studio in a bid to "future ready" itself.
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The gaming giant's chief executive, Jim Ryan, said it had made the "extremely hard decision" as the "industry has changed immensely".
He said the company needed to prepare "for what lies ahead", with the cuts representing around 8 per cent of PlayStation's total global workforce.
It comes after many other technology and gaming firms have also made cuts to jobs in recent months.
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In an email sent to PlayStation staff, Mr Ryan said the London Studio would close "in its entirety".
He added that there would be staff reductions at the company's Liverpool-based Firesprite Studio as well as "reductions in various functions across Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) in the UK".
"The PlayStation community means everything to us, so I felt it was important to update you on a difficult day at our company," Mr Ryan said in a blog post.
"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."
