New data suggests layoffs will affect 14,259 people by the end of 2026, up 78% from first forecast of the year - GamesIndustry.biz

What the report says

GamesIndustry.biz reported that the ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker has raised its projection for games industry job losses in 2026 to 14,259 people, a 78% increase from the tracker’s first estimate of 8,025 in January. The updated figure follows a July 26 revision showing 9,781 layoffs already counted, according to the article.

The tracker is maintained by Amir Satvat, business development director at Tencent Games, who told GamesIndustry.biz that layoffs are moving more quickly than the model had first anticipated. The latest forecast is also higher than a July 10 estimate of 13,878, adding 381 expected redundancies in just over two weeks. The report cited recent cuts including 32 roles at ZA/UM, 20 at 11 Bit Studios, 51 at Ubisoft Barcelona and 22 at Red Rover Interactive.

The July 10 update came after a major round of Xbox layoffs affecting 1,600 workers across studios and units including Obsidian, Bethesda, id Software and ZeniMax Online Studios, according to the report. Satvat noted uncertainty over the timing of Microsoft’s remaining 1,600 cuts, saying some could fall into calendar 2027, but that the current tracker assumption places them in 2026 pending better information.

Geographically, the tracker attributes 66% of layoff events and 79% of affected workers to North America, with the United States at 48% and Canada at 17%. Europe accounts for 30%, and together the two regions represent 95% of tracked layoffs. GamesIndustry.biz said projected five-year job losses are expected to approach 60,000, underscoring continued pressure across the games business after several years of restructuring.