In January, Microsoft made the announcement that they would be reducing their workforce by 1,900 employees, affecting companies like Activision Blizzard and Xbox. The repercussions of this decision are still being felt, with recent reports indicating that Bethesda France is facing a complete shutdown. This news is supported by statements from Bethesda content creators and the confirmation that layoffs are indeed taking place at Bethesda France, painting a bleak picture for the company.
Meanwhile, Bethesda Game Studios is experiencing great success with its Fallout franchise. The Fallout TV show, backed by Amazon, was released on Prime Video on April 10 to a highly positive reception. This has led to a resurgence in popularity for the game series, with some titles even breaking player count records in recent days.
In the midst of these developments, rumors suggest that only specific teams within Bethesda France are being affected, while studios like Arkane Lyon remain unaffected. This is a silver lining, especially considering Arkane Lyon’s involvement in the development of the recently announced Blade game. However, the closure of Bethesda France, which primarily served as a marketing and community engagement hub with a small team of around fifteen employees, is still a significant loss.
Over the past year and a half, approximately 20,000 workers in the industry have lost their jobs globally, highlighting the challenges faced by many companies. Speculation is now circulating that Bethesda Germany may be the next localized team to be impacted, and there are concerns about potential repercussions for ZeniMax as well.
Despite the understanding that Bethesda France may not have played a major role within the company, news of layoffs is always disheartening. For more gaming news, be sure to follow Esports.net.
