- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
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- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
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- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
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- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
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- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
Microsoft cutting more jobs from its gaming unit
Microsoft is cutting about 650 more positions from its gaming unit as it continues to tighten its belt following the blockbuster buyout of "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard.
The elimination of mostly corporate and support roles across Microsoft Gaming is intended to "organize our business for long-term success" in the aftermath of the $69 billion acquisition, unit chief Phil Spencer told employees in a memo viewed by AFP.
"Today is one of the challenging days," Spencer said in the memo. "I know that going through more changes like this is hard."
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) labor union, which includes members in the video game industry, called the layoffs "extremely disappointing," coming on the heels of Sony Interactive Entertainment subsidiary Bungie announcing 220 layoffs in July.
"Heartless layoffs like these have become all too common," World of Warcraft senior producer and CWA member Samuel Cooper said in a release by the labor organizers.
Microsoft in January said it was laying off 1,900 people, or eight percent of staff, from its gaming division as it consolidated the buyout of Activision Blizzard.
Spencer told employees at the time that Microsoft and Activision were committed to finding a "sustainable cost structure" to grow the gaming business, which employed 22,000 people and includes the Xbox division.
"Together, we've set priorities, identified areas of overlap, and ensured that we're all aligned on the best opportunities for growth," he added in a memo at the time.
Microsoft launched its takeover in January 2022, an acquisition that made it the world's third-largest gaming company by revenue.
No games or devices are being cancelled, nor are any studios being closed as part of the "adjustments" made at Microsoft's gaming unit on Thursday, according to Spencer.
Layoffs have become common in the video game industry, with Sony PlayStation early this year announcing it was laying off eight percent of its global workforce.
Calling it "sad news," PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that the reduction would affect 900 people across the globe, including video game-making studios.
The company's PlayStation London studio, which was founded in 2002 and specialized in virtual reality gaming projects, was being closed in its entirety, the company said.
In all, last year the tech industry lost some 260,000 jobs according to layoffs.fyi, a California-based website that tracks the sector.
So far this year, layoffs are at 136,360, the site showed, from 435 tech companies.
A.Motta--PC