• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Former PlayStation boss has controversial response to 10,000 brutal gaming industry layoffs

Home> Gaming> News

Published 14:05 11 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Former PlayStation boss has controversial response to 10,000 brutal gaming industry layoffs

Has Chris Deering kicked the thousands of video workers who have lost their jobs while they're down?

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

You'd think the gaming industry would be one of the safest for jobs on the planet in the modern day.

Unfortunately, you'd be wrong, as a staggering 10,000 people have been brutally axed from Sony in a very short amount of time... but according the former PlayStation boss it isn't down to 'greed' from the company's higher-ups.

Claude Deering and Chris Deering attend Sony's PSP Factory with Hollywood Hottest Stars at Hollywood Center Studios on May 17, 2005 (Stefanie Keenan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Claude Deering and Chris Deering attend Sony's PSP Factory with Hollywood Hottest Stars at Hollywood Center Studios on May 17, 2005 (Stefanie Keenan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Advert

Chris Deering, who held the position as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for an entire decade from 1995, has controversially weighed in on the subject and it could be deemed as a kick in the teeth.

Before we get into what he's said, a quick debrief of the whole saga.

We'll start with the horrors of coronavirus, which forced almost the entire global population indoors through worldwide pandemics - leading to a huge boost in gaming.

Consoles again started flying off the shelves - and so too were mobile games -and it all meant the industry was making wads of money, probably more than it has made in a long, long time.

Advert

In turn, companies hired more staff, but as we gradually eked out towards the post-covid era, sales slowed - although records were still being broken for game releases.

There's a whole lot more to it, but that's the gist of things.

It is a tough year to be in the gaming industry (Getty stock image)
It is a tough year to be in the gaming industry (Getty stock image)

So, what did the 79-year-old controversially say about the dismissals?

Advert

Well, Deering was invited on the podcast My Perfect Console with Simon Parkin, and he didn't hold back when asked about the topic.

He told the host: "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."

Advert

He explained that he believes gaming development is 'still where the action is', but that those in this area of expertise need to 'figure out how to get through it'.

He said: "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.

More than 10,000 video game workers have lost their jobs in a short period of time (Getty stock image)
More than 10,000 video game workers have lost their jobs in a short period of time (Getty stock image)

"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.

Advert

"I presume people were paid some kind of a decent severance package and by the time that runs out then well, that's life."

I mean, telling someone who has spent years of their life training to become a professional in the field to drop it and become an Uber driver could seem like he's kicking said person when they're down... but I think there was more to it.

To credit the PlayStation legend, he also highlighted that he believes that they won't fall into a 'lifetime of poverty or limitation' with the skills they acquire.

Although, I'm not sure Uber drivers will consider him a legend after that.

Featured Image Credit: Stefanie Keenan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images / Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Topics: Business, PlayStation, Sony, Podcast, US News

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a month ago
  • a month ago

    People compare cost of making GTA 6 versus the tallest building in the world and reveal shocking truth

    The Burj Khalifa was constructed back in 2004, now people are comparing it to the development of GTA VI

    Gaming
  • a month ago

    Fans all ask the same question after Rockstar release new trailer for GTA 6

    Rockstar Games dropped the second trailer for GTA VI today

    Gaming
  • a month ago

    Rockstar releases new trailer for GTA 6 after confirming release date

    Rockstar Games has finally dropped its highly anticipated second trailer for GTA 6

    Gaming
  • a month ago

    Financial expert reveals how Donald Trump's global tariffs could impact the price of GTA 6

    While Rockstar Games has confirmed a release date, fans are still none the wiser over how much the game will cost

    Gaming
  • Interviewer has brutal response as Donald Trump calls himself 'a truthful person' on his podcast
  • Hillary Clinton has brutal response after Trump administration leaked war plans to journalist
  • Ivanka Trump has brutal three-word response when asked about plans to avoid the White House
  • President Zelenskyy has brutal response when asked why he didn’t wear a suit to White House