The terms ‘layoffs’ and ‘restructuring’ have become synonymous for the past few years. It’s horrifying. Recently, another round of layoffs happened at Microsoft, and it didn’t even come as bizarre, as we are slowly getting used to hearing about it. But many are still shocked; one of them is the Electronic Arts Japan general manager, Shaun Noguchi, who spoke about it in his post that,
In recent years, foreign companies have increasingly demanded short-term results for large-scale investments, and there are not infrequent cases where a change in direction is made to meet shareholder expectations before sufficient time has been invested.
See the entire post below.
「リストラ（Restructure）」という言葉には、再構築や効率化といった前向きな意味合いが込められることが多く海外では比較的曖昧に使われがちです。しかし日本においては「リストラ＝解雇」として非常にストレートに受け止められその影響の大きさがより強く意識されます。… https://t.co/jYFwnpuehe
— 野口ショーン (@SeptillionGames) July 4, 2025
In the latest round of layoffs, Microsoft axed 9,000 jobs, the largest among the last few rounds of layoffs, where the company cut 1,900 jobs in 2024 and 6,000 just recently this year.
The entire gaming industry is seeing this plague happening in different companies and not just Microsoft. Electronic Arts is among them too, which laid off 6% of its workforce in 2023. Last year, it laid off 670 staff members and around 400 this year. Part of this is happening due to advancements in technologies like artificial intelligence, which is cutting the need for a human workforce.
Shaun Noguchi on Video Game Cancelations
In the same post, the EA GM also gave his take on video game cancelations. He wrote that,
This is just my personal opinion but if a game was in development for 7~10 years, canceling feels like the worst move. That’s a decade of work, potentially a quarter of someones entire career completly lost.
Read his entire post below.
This is just my personal opinion but if a game was in development for 7~10 years, canceling feels like the worst move. That’s a decade of work, potentially a quarter of someones entire career completly lost.
— 野口ショーン (@SeptillionGames) July 5, 2025
Even if the final product isn’t what people originally expected, I…
It’s not just layoffs that are hitting hard; video game cancelations and studio closures have enraged the fans too. From Microsoft to Ubisoft, several companies have canceled major AAA titles, including the pseudonymous Project Odyssey, a free-to-play The Division game, and more. Recently, Thumb Wars also learned that Outriders 2 was one of People Can Fly’s two canceled games.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, see how hackers are at large again to ruin the Call of Duty experience, or see the sharp-eyed Hideo Kojima spotting a fan playing DS2 in the crowd. Otherwise, follow Thumb Wars on X, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram to keep up with the latest news, reviews, and interviews.
Marcus Griggs is a Writer at Thumb Wars, zeroed in on video games, but will also throw himself into anything in association with anime and cinema. As with his favorite video games, give him anything with a linear story, be it Call of Duty or Braid, and he will be happy. He thinks of stories as food and wants to feed his readers something nutritious, food for thought.
