Sony Lays Off 900 Employees in Its PlayStation Unit
Closing its London studio entirely.
Sony Interactive Entertainment has laid off 900 employees in its PlayStation department. The number equates to about 8% of its workforce globally and impacts staffers across regions.
As part of the cuts, Sony will be shuttering PlayStation’s London studio entirely. Other affected studios include Insomniac Games, Guerrilla, Naughty Dog and more.
“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,” PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan wrote in an email to employees.
The news arrives after Sony lowered its sales forecasts for the PlayStation 5 from 25 million units to 21 million units. It’s likely customers are holding out for the next console, given the PS5 came out over three years ago. Following the news of the lowered sales expectations, shares in the company immediately dropped.
Microsoft similarly underwent its own round of employee layoffs last month in the aftermath of its Activision Blizzard acquisition.
