Activision-Blizzard To Have Massive Layoff; Mainly Marketing/Sales, and Publishing Dept. - When Shoveling The Same Shit Yearly Stops Making Money, Also Learning to Code Works

[JosephTX]

https://ign.com/articles/2019/02/09/activision-blizzard-reportedly-planning-massive-layoffs

As reported by Bloomberg, the announcement of these layoffs could arrive as early as Tuesday and are "part of a restructuring aimed at centralizing functions and boosting profit."

Activision Blizzard's shares dropped around 2.5% on Friday and is furthering the story that was "acknowledged on a November conference call that some key titles, such as Overwatch and Hearthstone, were seeing flat or declining numbers of users."




Will Apex Legends' Success Force Call of Duty's Blackout to Go Free-to-Play

4:05




Additionally, after Destiny 2: Forsaken didn't perform as well as the company wanted, it split with developer Bungie and the Destiny IP, which could "reduce annual revenue by as much as $400 million."

Kotaku's Jason Schreier has also reported that these layoffs are expected to be "primarily in non-game-development departments, such as publishing, marketing, and sales."

Schreier also comments that these layoffs may mostly occur within Blizzard, shifting some of the roles to Activision proper, "further reducing Blizzard's autonomy

Despite it being non-game devs studios are already putting out adds for any laid off game devs proving Learning to Code is the best thing to to.

 

[The Last Stand]

Kudos to those game developers for having open slots. Hope they won't be too affected by the layoffs. Activision and EA are neck in neck for the worst gaming company to work for.

 

[Wallace]

*cough*BfA*cough*

 

[Slap47]

One of capitalism's downsides is this setup where CEOs are rewarded when they fail.

This is really going to fuck us if we don't reign this in somehow.

 

[The Shadow]

How has everyone working on the Diablo mobile game not been axed yet?

 

[Wallace]

That's down from a high of over $80 a share back in October. The stock has lost nearly half of its value in four months.

 

[MightyBiteySnake]

They can try cutting the fat but that won't stop them from making games that only appeal to their already existing fans

View attachment 661630

That's down from a high of over $80 a share back in October. The stock has lost nearly half of its value in four months.

I guess the fellas at Wall Street don't have phones

 

[carltondanks]

3 days later: "Overwatch team confirms that homosexuality was gay the entire time."

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

3 days later: "Overwatch team confirms that homosexuality was gay the entire time."

Also Winston is transspecies

 

[Crocophile]

How has everyone working on the Diablo mobile game not been axed yet?

Because no one's actually working on it, remember? It's just a Chinese game they're probably having an intern reskin the UI of and put on stores.

The idea they make things to please their existing fans is also totally bogus because not even the most Blizzard die hards are sticking around. Useless personal anecdote, but I actually saw a liiiiittle bit of growth in WoW during Legion, more new players than in years, and every single one plus half of the 10+ year players have quit in BfA because they realize it's just a massive skinner box and more importantly than that it isn't fun. If any press release says that it's doing well, it's a lie. My totally 'full' server has about a third as many players as when it launched. Not even Vanilla servers is gonna bring'em back. I haven't paid my sub in months, I'm just living on my token time as the last of my desire to play is quietly smothered by shitty boring ass content.

Other than that: Diablo 3 is dead. Blizzard pulled the plug on Heroes. Overwatch's only huge fans are people that don't play video games and esports niggers. The only Blizzard property not on life support is Hearthstone because CCG players are insufferable with money and Artifact flopped. Even still MTG Arena is courting more and more of them away (TESL isn't doing that bad either), and the recent Hearthstone censorship controversy over titties, even if totally autistic, is still gonna garner a lot of ill will among those speds that buy digital bits of cardboard for $300.

But hey, saying Soldierman 69 was gay totally erased the controversy about rampant racial and sexual harassment at ActiBlizz, so I'm sure making D.va a trap till turn it all around for them.

 

[Just Some Other Guy]

Because no one's actually working on it, remember? It's just a Chinese game they're probably having an intern reskin the UI of and put on stores.

The idea they make things to please their existing fans is also totally bogus because not even the most Blizzard die hards are sticking around. Useless personal anecdote, but I actually saw a liiiiittle bit of growth in WoW during Legion, more new players than in years, and every single one plus half of the 10+ year players have quit in BfA because they realize it's just a massive skinner box and more importantly than that it isn't fun. If any press release says that it's doing well, it's a lie. My totally 'full' server has about a third as many players as when it launched. Not even Vanilla servers is gonna bring'em back. I haven't paid my sub in months, I'm just living on my token time as the last of my desire to play is quietly smothered by shitty boring ass content.

Other than that: Diablo 3 is dead. Blizzard pulled the plug on Heroes. Overwatch's only huge fans are people that don't play video games and esports niggers. The only Blizzard property not on life support is Hearthstone because CCG players are insufferable with money and Artifact flopped. Even still MTG Arena is courting more and more of them away (TESL isn't doing that bad either), and the recent Hearthstone censorship controversy over titties, even if totally autistic, is still gonna garner a lot of ill will among those speds that buy digital bits of cardboard for $300.

But hey, saying Soldierman 69 was gay totally erased the controversy about rampant racial and sexual harassment at ActiBlizz, so I'm sure making D.va a trap till turn it all around for them.

Shit, I remember when I first started playing BFA and grinding out the world quests. There were tons of people doing them, large groups of people would always be waiting for respawns. Last time I played (back in december) I noticed almost nobody is doing the world quests. I'd be doing something else and notice a quest mob with not a single person going for it. It was at that point that I knew WoW was dead and I canceled my sub shortly after.

 

[TowinKarz]

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/02/09/activision-blizzard-reportedly-planning-massive-layoffs

Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning on announcing job cuts that could "number in the hundreds" following slowing sales for the company responsible for such titles as Call of Duty and Overwatch.

As reported by Bloomberg, the announcement of these layoffs could arrive as early as Tuesday and are "part of a restructuring aimed at centralizing functions and boosting profit."

Activision Blizzard's shares dropped around 2.5% on Friday and is furthering the story that was "acknowledged on a November conference call that some key titles, such as Overwatch and Hearthstone, were seeing flat or declining numbers of users."


Additionally, after Destiny 2: Forsaken didn't perform as well as the company wanted, it split with developer Bungie and the Destiny IP, which could "reduce annual revenue by as much as $400 million."

Kotaku's Jason Schreier has also reported that these layoffs are expected to be "primarily in non-game-development departments, such as publishing, marketing, and sales."

Schreier also comments that these layoffs may mostly occur within Blizzard, shifting some of the roles to Activision proper, "further reducing Blizzard's autonomy."

Even though Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 was one of the best selling games in 2018, last year also brought some controversial news, including the announcement and reaction of the mobile title, Diablo: Immortal and the departure of some top-level executives.

Activision Blizzard is hardly the only company dealing with certain troubles, as EA recently had a tough financial quarter of its own and is hoping Apex Legends and Anthem will help it in the future.



While there isn't a "code woke go broke" smoking gun over at Activision like there is for EA, the same consumer unfriendly choices that bedevil every AAA games and studio are present here if you look close enough:

- Stale output and constant franchise rehashes
- Greed that billion dollar bottom lines aren't good enough
- Aggresive monetization/microtransaction schemes
- The infamous "What? Don't you guys have phones?" response to gamer anger that the next Diablo installment would be for mobile (thus better allowing those money-making schemes)
- Constantly shedding executives and branches hinting at internal strife and a lack of goodwill.


Aside from SJW pandering, the other major problem that the games industry refuses to admit to is on full display here if you look close. They're pushing the "game franchises as subscription services" model even though consumers plainly don't want it because it's what the investors want (infinite growth opportunities when the game settings can be monetized to the point that just adjusting the screen contrast probably costs $2 now) and they're unwilling to admit that such models, like "progressive" content, just don't work.

 

[NeoGAF Lurker]

Get woke, go broke

 

[vhstape]

Activision need to create new ips, they rely way too much on only a few key ones to the point they run them into the ground see Skylanders, Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero.
Blizzard needs new management, too many of their games get stuck in development hell before coming if they do come out at all. It's clear from the reaction of Diablo Immortal that fans are not happy with these wait times for new games as well.

 

[TowinKarz]

Unfortunately it seems that game studios are now as risk-adverse as Hollywood when it comes to that, and would rather re-re-re-release the same IPs over and over again instead of taking a chance on something new, the irony being, that even good IPs like Star Wars will bomb too if you just slap the name on everything coming down the assmbly line, as Disney just proved.

The entire media industry has grown into this lazy, fat, slug, whining about how much money it isn't making while doing nothing I haven't seen a slug do before.

(Slug Run 2019 will be better than Slug Run 2018, it has a gay slug in it and you can pay to subscribe to watch it on your phone with our Slug Run ap! What? You aren't buying? What are you? Slugphonbes or something? You'll RUIN this industry!!!! )

 

[CatParty]

Activision made pitfall I don’t know how they’d fuck up

 

[Ponderous Pillock]

Good job everyone at Acti-blizzard has phones.

They can search job listings easier.

 

[Bunny Tracks]

There seems to be a lot of layoffs in the media industry lately. It makes me wonder if a crash is gonna happen soon.

 

[UE 558]

GODDAMMIT, WHY DOES THIS GARBAGE CAN OF A COMPANY OWN CTR AND THE LOCALIZATION RIGHTS TO SEKIRO?

 

[QI 541]

There seems to be a lot of layoffs in the media industry lately. It makes me wonder if a crash is gonna happen soon.

Blizzard's part of the media industry?

Unfortunately it seems that game studios are now as risk-adverse as Hollywood when it comes to that, and would rather re-re-re-release the same IPs over and over again instead of taking a chance on something new, the irony being, that even good IPs like Star Wars will bomb too if you just slap the name on everything coming down the assmbly line, as Disney just proved.

The entire media industry has grown into this lazy, fat, slug, whining about how much money it isn't making while doing nothing I haven't seen a slug do before.

(Slug Run 2019 will be better than Slug Run 2018, it has a gay slug in it and you can pay to subscribe to watch it on your phone with our Slug Run ap! What? You aren't buying? What are you? Slugphonbes or something? You'll RUIN this industry!!!! )

Reimagining the same superhero repeatedly seems to work for Hollywood though. Maybe in the future all video games will be FPS and open world capeshit.