The Versaille, France Blizzard office is reportedly closing its doors following a notice given to the employees by Activision this Tuesday morning. The office currently boasts a staff of approximately 400 employees.
In a report by Bloomberg, the France employees were notified of the shuttering this morning. The Versailles office's focus is marketing and customer support, with localization efforts targeted towards its European audience. It was also largely left as a primarily Blizzard studio with a focus on World of Warcraft and Diablo, up until a few years ago when Activision began to get more involved.
According to the publication, Activision Blizzard originally sought to reolcate half of the Versaille office to Longdon, but employees anonymously told journalist Jason Schreier that Brexit and the continuation of COVID-19 made that change virtually impossible.
Whether or not this shuttering will result in layoffs remains to be seen, though it sounds like Activision Blizzard is looking at relocation options. The bright side is that there are labor laws in place by the French government that protect employees in the wake of layoffs with negotiable severance packages.
Reportedly, the staff notified were told that more information would be provided next week regarding what this move means for them as a whole. This news follows what happened back in 2019, where Activision told its Versaille staff that 134 of the over 400 positions at that location would be cut, with those employees affected opting into the severance packages offered.
Next week, there will be a more concrete plan in place for what happens next and if the remaining staff will be relocated or if there will be another wave of layoffs.
The topic of layoffs is never an easy one to have and one where many companay cultures can relate. With the holiday season looming ahead, our thoughts are with the team at Blizzard's Versaille office to learn more.
We've also reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.
[Source: Bloomberg]