After over two years since Microsoft publicly announced its intention to acquire Activision Blizzard, the deal is now officially closed as of October 2023. Unfortunately, the joint company has proceeded with layoffs in “areas of overlap”, which has sparked controversy due to previous promises to maintain the status quo that have been broken with the 1,900 job cuts so far.
Now, Michéal Martin, the deputy head of the Irish government, has confirmed that 136 Blizzard Entertainment redundancies are expected in Cork, the Republic of Ireland’s second-largest city. According to Irish Examiner, the office only employs around 200 people, meaning that a huge 68% of its staff members are set to lose their jobs.
Employee impact
Blizzard Entertainment’s Cork office was established in 2007 as a support center and currently employs roughly half of all the Republic of Ireland’s Blizzard staff, with approximately 200 employees in both Cork and Dublin. This means that around 34% of its employees across the whole Republic of Ireland can expect to be affected by these cuts.
Martin has described these layoffs as “very serious” due to the implications on employees and their families, while Mick Barry, a member of People Before Profit, has raised concerns about the company’s refusal “to engage with the trade union chosen by these workers to represent them.”
He added: “Companies should not be allowed to simply announce life-changing cutbacks to people’s jobs and refuse to talk to the representatives chosen by those who have given long years of service to their employer.”
In January, Blizzard only informed Irish staff of potential redundancies without stating how many would be affected. America’s Federal Trade Commission raised concerns about the 1,900 layoffs earlier this month, citing Microsoft’s promise of a vertical merger. Microsoft has claimed that Activision Blizzard had already planned these layoffs before the acquisition, but regarding Cork, the extent of the impact on the local staff is significant.
We have reached out to Blizzard Entertainment for comment.
