Activision unexpectedly lays off about 50 employees of the e-sports department.
Last Wednesday, around 50 employees were laid off completely without warning. This became known through an interview with The Verge.
With the future of the Overwatch League uncertain, employees said they were fired without any warning or other notice. They are shocked and have not even been given the opportunity to take on another position or move to another department within the company.
Brad Crawford, Activision Blizzard Esports’ senior director of global communications, tried to explain the layoffs to The Verge as follows:
“We remain committed to the future of esports and regularly review how our work force aligns with our business objectives to ensure we can evolve with changing trends and provide the best for our teams, players and fans. As always, supporting our employees during the transition is our top priority.”
Additi onally, Overwatch League Commissioner Sean Miller, who was also interviewed, said:
“First and foremost, I want to make one thing clear: Overwatch remains committed to a competitive ecosystem in 2024 and beyond. And we’re building on a revived global scene that puts players and fans first.”
It was also announced that Blizzard would like to release a selection of its games on Steam, starting with Overwatch 2, which will be released on Steam next month.