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U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to “unwind” Microsoft‘s purchase of Activision Blizzard after the Xbox maker announced mass layoffs across its gaming division yesterday. Activision Blizzard faced most of the brunt, with Blizzard’s survival game canceled and entire teams wiped out across the publisher.
Activision Blizzard layoffs described as a “bloodbath” by affected employees
Senator Warren took to Twitter to criticize the downsizing, reminding followers of her previous warnings against the merger. “I warned that this deal would hurt workers,” she wrote. “These layoffs are a stark reminder that corporate mergers are bad for workers. The FTC should keep up the fight to unwind this merger.”
Activision Blizzard employees have described the layoffs as a “bloodbath” on social media. Reports have emerged that Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games has lost more than a quarter of its employees. CharlieINTEL puts the percentage of Sledgehammer layoffs at 25% whereas Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming has heard it’s somewhat close to 30%.
Although the merger has closed, the FTC is continuing its investigation into the deal, and hopes to convince courts that Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard is bad for competition and consumer choice.