One might assume that job security in the gaming industry would be robust in today’s world.
However, this assumption is incorrect, as Sony has recently laid off a shocking 10,000 employees in a brief period. According to a former PlayStation executive, this isn’t due to ‘greed’ from the company’s top brass.
Chris Deering, who served as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe from 1995 for a decade, has offered his controversial perspective on the matter, which some may find disheartening.
Before delving into his comments, let’s review the situation briefly.
The coronavirus pandemic forced people worldwide to stay indoors, resulting in a significant increase in gaming activities.
Consoles and mobile games saw a surge in sales, leading to substantial profits for the industry, possibly more than it had seen in a long time.
As a result, companies increased their workforce, but as the world began transitioning out of the pandemic, sales slowed, even though game release records continued to be broken.
This is a simplified overview of the situation.
So, what exactly did the 79-year-old say about these layoffs?
Deering appeared on the podcast My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin and didn’t hold back on his views.
He said: “I don’t think it’s fair to say that the resulting layoffs have been greed.
“I always tried to minimise the speed with which we added staff because I always knew there would be a cycle and I didn’t want to end up having the same problems that Sony did in Electronics.
“If the money isn’t coming in from the consumers on the last game, it’s going to be hard to justify spending the money for the next game.”
Deering believes that gaming development is ‘still where the action is’, but those in the field need to ‘figure out how to get through it’.
He added: “Drive an Uber or whatever, go off to find a cheap place to live and go to the beach for a year. But keep up with your news and keep up with it, because once you get off the train, it’s much harder.
“But I’m optimistic for the future even for the people who have just recently been laid off and these things recover sometimes a lot faster than you might think when all is very precarious.
“I presume people were paid some kind of a decent severance package and by the time that runs out then well, that’s life.”
Suggesting that professionals switch to driving an Uber may seem harsh, but there’s a broader context to consider.
To his credit, Deering also emphasized that those with skills in the gaming industry aren’t doomed to a ‘lifetime of poverty or limitation’.
Although his comments might not sit well with Uber drivers, his intentions may have been more nuanced.