The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Information / Communication Publishing Of Information; Production And Programming Of Audiovisual Publishing Activities 58.21 - Publishing of computer games
335 - 285 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
6 October 2020
Employment effect (start)
13 November 2020
Foreseen end date
Description
Blizzard, a leading publisher and developer of video game software, has announced the closure of its French subsidiary located at Versailles (Yvelines) and employing 285 people. The employees were informed of this during a ten-minute Zoom meeting. The closure project will be presented to the social and economic committee on 13 and 14 October.
Blizzard France includes support functions: publishing, marketing, communication, game translation, Internet community animation and customer service. This subsidiary handles video games for the Blizzard studios (World of Warcraft, Overwatch), and has recently taken on assignments for certain Activision games (Call of Duty).
The French branch already underwent a job protection plan last year: the workforce decreased from 450 to 285 positions. This reorganisation was part of a strategy to cut 800 of the 9,600 jobs worldwide which was announced in February 2019.
Update 17/03/2021: in addition to the clousure of it subsidiary Blizzard has announced the closure of its entertainment and live performance division with 50 job cuts. The reason given is the impact of COVID-19.
Eurofound (2020), Blizzard Entertainment, Closure in France, factsheet number 102006, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/102006.
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
The retail banking sector is fertile ground for studying the impacts of digitalisation on work and employment. Financial services are increasingly provided online, without the intermediary of customer-facing institutions.
European labour markets have recovered strongly from COVID-19. By the end of 2021, little more than 18 months after the start of the pandemic, employment rates in the EU were almost at pre-crisis levels.
