Activision Blizzard is preparing for its fourth round of layoffs in the last half year.
Sources with knowledge of the situation explained GamesIndustry.biz that the company closes its publishing offices in Europe.
“Players are increasingly choosing the digital connection to our games,” an Activision Blizzard representative said 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 positioning the region for future growth. We will take extensive steps to support all employees and facilitate the transition for those of our colleagues who could be affected by these proposed changes. “
The company has entered a consultation period to prepare for layoffs at Activision Blizzard’s offices in Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and two offices in the Netherlands.
The idea is to consolidate Activision Blizzard’s European publishing functions into a UK center.
The cuts are said to be limited to publishing features and will not affect development operations or live operations or customer service staff. Nor do they affect King’s offices in the UK, Sweden, Germany and Spain.
Activision Blizzard, based in the United States, has been reforming its international operations recently. Last October it closed other offices in France and the Netherlands and continued the following month with a series of planned cuts to its Asia-Pacific offices.
The publisher’s 2017 annual report reported a maximum of 36 international offices. Activision Blizzard has not yet released the 2020 annual report, but international offices had been reduced to 31 by the publication of the 2019 annual report last April.
Activision Blizzard’s layoffs have not been limited to its overseas staff. Earlier this week, he confirmed the dismissal of about 50 people involved in his live events and sports business, including U.S. employees.