10 Worst Things Gaming Did In 2024
1. Massive Layoffs
If the complete closure of multiple studios wasn’t bad enough, there were exponentially more cases of studios being sold and downsized. Combined with other factors and situations, those decisions resulted in approximately 15,000 people losing their jobs (significantly surpassing 2023’s total).
In January, Riot Games laid off over 500 employees. Around the same time, Unity axed nearly 2,000 jobs as part of a “company reset,” just as Microsoft Gaming let roughly the same amount of people go during the same month across studios such as Sledgehammer Games, Activision Blizzard, and Toys for Bob.
From there, Electronic Arts reduced its workforce by about 700 people in February; Take-Two announced the dismissal of 550 employees in April; and Bungie “eliminated” 220 “roles” at the end of July.
Additionally, the downfall of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League meant that Rocksteady’s QA department was cut in half. Naturally, Embracer Group was responsible for a considerable number of terminations, too, with most estimates landing around 4,500 employees (which constituted roughly 25% of their workforce).
Granted, certain employees were promised severance packages and assistance in finding new jobs, but that certainly doesn’t assuage the ongoing industry problems that lead to such massive and repeated firings.