Activision-Blizzard Has Laid Off Almost 190 Workers

New reports are going around that say Activision-Blizzard has laid off nearly 190 employees. Among that number are 50 employees from its esports division. The layoffs reportedly impacted less than two percent of company employees. All workers laid off will receive a minimum of 90 days of severance and health benefits for up to a year.

Oddly, each of the laid-off employees was also given a $200 gift card to Battle.net, the company videogame storefront. The 50 workers laid off in the sports division were a result of the company attempting to reinvent the division amidst the pandemic.

The company is planning a future with the sports that are less dependent on live events. However, the company doesn’t intend to eliminate live events. The company also said layoffs were partly because of the need to reduce costs and different resources for other areas of the company.

Despite the layoffs, Activision says that players are increasingly choosing to connect with its games and the esports team. This certainly isn’t the first round of layoffs from Activision-Blizzard. In March 2019, the company axed nearly 800 workers.