- Sony announced roughly 900 employees would be laid off from the PlayStation division.
- The decision comes amidst a slowing gaming market, with others like Microsoft also cutting jobs.
- Read the email CEO Jim Ryan wrote to employees.
Sony Interactive Entertainment is laying off about 900 people from the PlayStation division.
The entertainment giant will be cutting about 8% of the division's staff across the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific, Jim Ryan, the president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, wrote in a blog on the company's website on February 27.
PlayStation Studios' London studio will close, Ryan wrote.
"The leadership team and I made the incredibly difficult decision to restructure operations, which regrettably includes a reduction in our workforce," Ryan wrote in an email to employees, which was shared in the release.
Ryan will retire at the end of March, as he wrote in a press release shared in September.
PlayStation is the latest gaming giant to announce job cuts due to a slowing gaming market. In January, Microsoft announced it's laying off 1,900 staff members across Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and ZeniMax. Video game software provider Unity announced in January that it would be cutting 1,800 jobs. Over 6,400 gaming-related roles have been eliminated so far in 2024.
Sony Interactive Entertainment did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Read the full email the CEO sent to employees:
Subject: Important Update Regarding Organizational Restructuring Team, It is important to provide you with updates about the business as often as possible. Today, I am writing with sad news. Through discussions over the past few months about the evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensuring our organization is future ready in this rapidly changing industry, 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. After careful consideration and many leadership discussions over several months, it has become clear changes need to be made to continue to grow the business and develop the company. We had to step back, look at our business holistically, and move forward focusing on the long-term sustainability of the company and delivering the best experiences possible for our community. The goal is to streamline our resources to ensure our continued success and ability to deliver experiences gamers and creators have come to expect from us. I want to be as transparent as possible with you, our partners, and our community about what this means:
We envision reducing our headcount by about 900 people, or about 8% of our current workforce There will be impact for employees across all SIE regions – Americas, EMEA, Japan, and APAC Several PlayStation Studios are affected I know that receiving this news will be hard and unsettling and you are wondering what this means for you. Timelines and procedures for how we approach this will vary based on your location due to local laws and regulations.
For those of you in the US, all impacted employees will be notified today. In the UK, it is proposed:
That PlayStation Studios' London Studio will close in its entirety; That there will be reductions in Firesprite studio; And that there will be reductions in various functions across SIE in the UK. The proposed changes mean that we will enter a period of collective consultation before any final decisions are taken. All employees who are part of the collective consultation will be made aware of the next steps today.
In Japan, we will implement a next career support program. Details will be communicated separately. In other countries, we will begin conversations with those who are potentially at risk or impacted as a result of this proposed course of action. For those who will be leaving SIE: You are leaving this company with our deepest respect and appreciation for all your efforts during your tenure. For those who will be staying at SIE: We will be saying goodbye to friends and colleagues that we cherish during this process, and this will be painful. Your resilience, sensitivity, and adaptiveness will be critical in the weeks and months to come. This will not be easy, and I am aware of the impact it will have on wellbeing. Affected employees will receive support, including severance benefits. While these are challenging times, it is not indicative of a lack of strength of our company, our brand, or our industry. Our goal is to remain agile and adaptable and to continue to focus on delivering the best gaming experiences possible now and in the future. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult period. Please be kind to yourselves and to each other. Jim
Are you a Sony employee affected by the PlayStation cuts? If you have a story to share, get in touch with this reporter at sgoel@businessinsider.com.