Activision Blizzard is reportedly planning to cut another 30 jobs as it transitions its non-development workforce to a full outsourcing setup.
Following theclosure of offices in Versailles, Franceand The Hague, Netherlands this year, MCVreportsthe Call of Duty publisher is also set to reduce its headcount in the Asia Pacific region.
Marketing, PR and publishing teams will all face redundancies, according to the site.
“We’ve been exploring how we might best integrate our capabilities across the business and be efficient as we evolve to meet growth opportunities and stay competitive in Asia Pacific,” anActivision Blizzardspokesperson told MCV.
“To that end, we have begun conversations with employees regarding a plan to centralize some roles across the region in our Sydney office. Decisions of this nature are never easy and supporting our employees through this process is our number one priority.”
Activision Blizzard said last February that that it planned toreduce its headcount by eight per cent in 2019, representing approximately 800 job losses, mainly consisting of “support staff”.
More recently, Activision Blizzard CEOBobby Koticksaid the company planned to hire more than 2,000 people within a year to meet upcoming production demands.
“Over the next year, Activision Blizzard is aiming to hire over 2,000 employees so that our incredibly talented teams can continue making epic entertainment,” hetweetedin May. “Now more than ever, we know our global community needs jobs – and we are proud to help.”
Most of the publisher’s gameshave seen record levels of engagementduring the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Kotick.
He said during Activision Blizzard’s third quarter earnings call in October thatBlizzardhas its“largest team ever” working on World of Warcraft content.
During the same presentation,ActivisionsaidModern Warfare’s first year sales werethe highest in Call of Duty’s history.
