Activision Blizzard is reportedly initiating staff redundancies at its office situated in Blackpool, Cork, Ireland.
According to the Irish Examiner, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Michéal Martin, disclosed that around 136 individuals would be impacted by the purported downsizing. The Cork facility, established in 2007, currently employs roughly 200 individuals.
There has been no official response from Activision regarding these reports. GamesIndustry.biz has reached out to the company seeking additional clarification.
These developments follow a statement from a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment to the Irish Examiner last month, indicating receipt of a collective redundancy notification pertaining to potential job cuts at Blizzard Entertainment Ireland Limited.
Mick Barry, an Irish Member of Parliament associated with the political party People Before Profit, noted that employees have expressed apprehension about the looming redundancies. Barry alleged that Activision has been uncooperative with the trade union chosen by the affected workers for representation.
Barry emphasized, “Companies should not be allowed to enter this country, announce significant job cutbacks, and simply refuse to engage with the representatives elected by employees who have devoted many years of service to their employer.”
The Cork office previously witnessed job cuts during the wave of layoffs at Microsoft in January. This included Activision’s Dublin office, which reportedly remains unaffected by the current round of layoffs.
