Report: Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe hit with layoffs on October 8
European branch reportedly not made aware of PlayStation 5 reveal.
Sony Interactive Entertainment America directors visited Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe in London on October 8 to announce the restructure of several divisions, including marketing and public relations, according to a VGC report citing people with knowledge of the situation.
Dozens of employees were reportedly affect, who were said to have then been given notice. Meetings were made for those required to re-interview for their positions.
The United States-based creative services team reportedly also saw a number of layoffs. One employee tweeted, “I was part of the creative services team at PlayStation that got laid off today. This group of talented and passionate people are out of a job and now looking for work. If you’re hiring for project coordinators, managers, and designers please post below! I hate that this is going to be drowned by the PS5 announcement. For the record also. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED working at PlayStation. It was a dream come true, many people got to see my art through campaigns and such. The people and environment are exactly what makes me and my friends sad to leave. It was a great place to work.”
VGC reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment America’s influence over Sony Interactive Entertainment has grown significantly over the past year as the company moves towards a globalized structure. While each regional branch operated individually in the past, European branch employees that spoke to VGC feel the branch will have a much lesser influence during the PlayStation 5 console generation.
The report states that European branch employees were not aware of the U.S. branch’s decision to announce PlayStation 5 details via Wired on October 8, only finding out about it post-publishing. It should be noted, however, that the Japanese branch was aware as it published its own PlayStation Blog post a minute before the U.S. PlayStation Blog.
When contacted by VGC, Sony Interactive Entertainment reportedly declined to comment.