Over 50 layoffs at Activision Blizzard as they look to reduce live events

Activision Blizzard has decided they’ll be laying off over 50 people as they look to shift away more from the amount of live events in their esport division.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, Activision Blizzard cites the virus as the driving force behind the current layoffs. According to them the pandemic had an undeniable effect on the viability of live events in the esports scene and with almost all leagues moving to an online format, they foresee a change in viewing habits from fans. This despite the fact the company is recording incredible amounts of revenue over the past few months.

Blizzard: We are building our esports divisions on geolocation and hosting multiple live esports events across the world every weekend

Also Blizzard: We want to be less dependent on live events because they surprisingly cost a shit ton of money pic.twitter.com/D5srXvhi5c

— The Esports Writer (@FionnOnFire) March 16, 2021

In a statement made to Bloomberg, a spokesperson from Activision Blizzard talked a little more about this shift. “Players are increasingly choosing to connect with our games digitally and the e-sports team, much like traditional sports, entertainment, and broadcasting industries, has had to adapt its business due to the impact the pandemic has had on live events”

Activision Blizzard would go on to say they still believe in the esports side of things, as they look to establish and grow their formats over online play and production, shifting their focus. Chances are the online league format will become the norm for the likes of CDL and Overwatch League, much to the dismay of some professional players who are clamoring for anti-cheat and more stable servers.

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Image credit: Activision Blizzard