PlayStation sheds 900 jobs
February 27, 2024
Sony is laying off 8 per cent of PlayStation staff globally, equating to approximately 900 people. The cuts include closing PlayStation’s London Studio entirely.
Jim Ryan, CEO, called the move “sad news” and said it was “a difficult day at our company” adding: “We have concluded that tough decisions have become inevitable […] The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce impacting very talented individuals who have contributed to our success.”
Ryan had previously announced he would step down in March 2024 after almost 30 years with the company, most recently as CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
The cuts come a month after rival Microsoft revealed plans to lay off 1,900 people in its gaming division, which included those at recently-acquired Activision-Blizzard.
Over the past two decades, London studios created several series including karaoke game SingStar and sports title This Is Football. More recently, it made VR games exclusive to Sony’s headset, including VR Worlds and the shooter Blood & Truth.
Sony’s latest console offering, the PlayStation 5, has sold more than 50 million units worldwide, more than double Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S sales.