Activision Blizzard is preparing for the fourth round of layoffs in the last half year.
Sources with knowledge of the situation said GamesIndustry.biz that the company is closing its publishing offices in Europe.
“Players are increasingly choosing to connect with our digital games,” said a representative of Activision Blizzard when asked about the closures.
“We have shared plans with our teams in Europe on how we would evolve as an organization, adapting to this change to serve our players and better position the region for future growth. We will take extensive measures to support all employees and facilitate the transition for those in our colleagues who may be affected by these proposed changes. “
The company entered a period of consultation in preparing layoffs at Activision Blizzard’s offices in Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and two offices in the Netherlands.
The idea is to strengthen Activision Blizzard’s European publishing capabilities in a UK hub.
Discounts are said to be limited to publishing features and will not impact development or live operations and customer support staff. They also have no impact on King’s offices in the UK, Sweden, Germany and Spain.
Activision Blizzard in the US reshaped its international operations until late. In October last year, it closed other offices in France and the Netherlands and followed the following month with a series of planned cuts to its Asia-Pacific offices.
In the publisher’s 2017 annual report, he reported a peak of 36 international offices. Activision Blizzard has not yet released the annual report for 2020, but international offices have been reduced to 31 since the launch of the 2019 annual report in April last year.
Activision Blizzard’s layoffs were not limited to its overseas staff. Earlier this week, it confirmed the layoffs of about 50 people involved in its live events and e-sports, including employees in the US.