Hiring and Firing

The project-based nature of video game development coupled with the volatility of the industry, and broader political economic shifts towards freelance and independent work has meant that keeping a permanent full-time position for the entirety of one's career is increasingly uncommon. This page will chronicle any newsworthy events related to hiring, firing and layoffs in the video game industry and the commentary that they illicit.

General and Opinion

• Kris Ligman on ZAG: Mar 2, 2016: Ex-Halo developers get real about hiring and firing in the game industry

• Jason Schreier on Kotaku: June 5, 2014: Why game developers keep getting laid off

• Tracey Lien on Kotaku: Sept 20, 2011: What happens to developers when a studio closes

• Gamasutra: Jan 12, 2009: Game developer layoffs: The real story

Hiring

• Lauren Weber on The Wall Street Journal: Apr 10, 2017: In the $75 billion videogame industry, hiring people is a last resort

• Anthony Farmer on Gamasutra: Mar. 3, 2014: Please fix your hiring practices

• Sam Mchkovech on ARS Technica: Mar. 26, 2014: Trolls and hiring practices: women on fixing the games industry

Restrictions on bringing foreign workers into Canada came into conflict with the demand for highly skilled technical workers in Canada's burgeoning video game industry. In 2015 the industry lobbied for exceptions to be made on their behalf.

• Chad Sapieha on The Financial Post: Nov 16, 2015: Foreign workers filling talent gaps in Canada’s fast-growing video game industry

  • Simone Chiose on The Globe and Mail: Feb 23, 2015:  Video-game firms press for flexibility on temporary foreign workers

In response, the government launched the Global Skills Strategy to streamline the process for highly skilled technology workers.

• Cision: Nov 2, 2016: Canadian video game industry welcomes federal government commitment on high-skilled foreign workers

Firing, layoffs, and closures

Kotaku ran a five part series in 2014 titled "Video game industry layoff stories" that highlight the personal experiences of video game workers.

• Jason Screier on Kotaku: June 20, 2014: Video game layoff stories

• Jason Scheier on Kotaku: Aug 6, 2014: 'I learned my company was getting shut down over Twitter'

• Jason Schreier on Kotaku: Oct 8, 2014: Waiting five hours to get fired in five minutes

• Jason Schreier on Kotaku: Nov 24, 2014: A game industry layoff that didn't suck (and four that did)

• Jason Schreier on Kotaku: Feb. 12, 2015: The pizza party where everyone got fired

Other reports of layoffs and firings:

• Matthew Handrahan: June 20, 2014: Riot Games offers “Mismatched” new hires cash to walk away

• Jason Screier on Kotaku: Feb 10, 2017: Activision has big layoffs despite surpassing financial targets

• Bien R. Gruba on iTechPost: Sept 16, 2016: Disney shuts down game studio as it shifts gaming approach to licensing model

• Julia Alexandra on Polygon: Sept 15, 2016: Marvel: Avengers Alliance team, other developers hit by Disney layoffs (update)

• Allegra Frank on Polygon: Sept 14, 2016: Sony cuts down on San Diego Studio (update)

• Alex Wawro on Gamasutra: July 1, 2016: Layoffs rake Aeria Games in the wake of Gamigo merger

• Colin Campbell on Polygon: Mar 21, 2016: 5th Cell lays off staff as Scribblenauts: Fighting Words canned

• Dan Pearson on GamesIndustry: Sept 14, 2015: Job losses at Sony London as first VR project wraps up

• Wesley Yin-Poole on EuroGamer: May 13, 2015: Layoffs hit NaturalMotion's Oxford-based QA department

• Brendan Sinclair at GamesIndustry.biz: May 12, 2015: EA lays off staff at Visceral Games

• Michael McWhertor on Polygon: May 6, 2015: Zynga laying off 18 perfect of its workforce in effort to cut $100M

• GamePolitics: Apr. 16, 2015: 2K Australia closed, entire staff laid off

• Samit Sakar on Polygon: Apr. 9, 2015: NCSoft lays off support staff as it moves support operations outside

• Alex Wawro on Gamasutra: Mar. 19, 2015: Layoffs strike Driveclub developer Evolution Studios

• Eddie Makuch on Gamespot: Mar. 19, 2015: Star Trek Online Dev suffers layoffs

• Brendan Sinclair on GamesIndustry.biz: Mar. 18, 2015: Perfect World cuts staff - report

• Samit Sarkar on Polygon: Mar. 4, 2015: EA shuts down Maxis Emeryville, studio behind SimCity

• GamePolitics: Feb. 12, 2015: Sega plans restructuring and layoffs

• Alan Wilson on Gamasutra: Feb. 12, 2015: Layoffs: enough with the corporate spiel. Be honest. Please.

• Michael McWhertor on Polygon: Feb. 11, 2015: Layoffs hit former SOE studio Daybreak Game Company, includes EverQuest lead

  • Alex Wawro on Gamasutra Feb. 11, 2015 : Layoffs sweep SOE as it transitions to Daybreak

• Phil Savage on PCGamer: Feb. 5, 2015: Valve don't even fire people like a normal company - Varoufakis on hiring and firing

• Wesley Copeland on IGN: Feb. 9, 2015: EA Mobile suffers layoffs

• Colin Campbell on Polygon: Jan. 30, 2015: Sega plans massive cuts

• Alex Wawro on Gamasutra: Jan. 30, 2015: Shake-up at Sega sees up to 300 jobs cut and an office shuttered

• GamePolicits reports on Jan. 26, 2015: Layoffs hit Frontier Developments

• Mike Rose on Gamasutra: Sept. 2, 2014: Game studio funded by Maltese government lays off majority of staff, according to reports

• Johnny Cullen on VG24/7: Sept. 5, 2011: Crytek slams "misleading accusations" over unfair dismissal

This website, GameJobsWatch.com, tracked the number of job losses in the games industry, although it has not been updated since 2013.

Court Cases

• Blaine Kyllo on The Georgia Straight: July 25, 2012: Legal spat highlights gaming industry war for talent

• Mike Snider on USA Today: May 28, 2012: Modern Warfare's Jason West, Vince Zampella vs Activision

• MMOCulture: Nov. 2011: Snail Games USA - CEO being sued for unfair dismissal and racism