Sony Lays Off 900 PlayStation Employees, Why?

JAKARTA - Among the many game companies that have laid off, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) officially announced that they have also laid off 8 percent of their workforce or around 900 employees.

In an announcement made directly by Jim Ryan as President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment, this dismissal includes Sony employees from around the world.

"We have made a very difficult decision to announce our plans to start a global reduction in the number of our employees by about 8 percent or about 900 people," he wrote, quoted Wednesday, February 28.

Ryan stated that the decision to dismiss the workforce was made to prepare companies in the future to manage their business and what they will do in the future.

With the hope, to streamline Sony's resources to ensure Sony's continued success and ability to provide the experience that gamers and creators hope for.

"We need to meet the expectations of developers and gamers and continue to push future technologies into gaming, so we are taking steps back to ensure we are ready to continue to bring the best gaming experience to the community."

Ryan also shared a copy of the internal email he sent to PlayStation staff, informing them of the company's upcoming restructuring plans and impacts.

The email reads, "Through discussions over the past few months about an evolving economic landscape, changes in the way we develop, distribute, and launch products, and ensure our organization is ready in the future in this rapidly changing industry, we have concluded that difficult decisions have become inevitable. The leadership team and I make very difficult decisions to restructure operations, which unfortunately include reducing our workforce which has an impact on very talented individuals who have contributed to our success."

A number of first-party PlayStation studios will be affected by layoffs, including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla, and Firesprite. In addition, SIE London Studio will be completely closed.