Gaming industry layoffs top 3,700 globally in 2026 so far: Report
New Delhi, June 19
The video game industry's layoff crisis continues unabated, with Bungie among the latest major developers to announce cuts and around 3,700 verified job losses recorded globally in the industry in 2026 so far, a report said on Friday.
The report from TradingPlatforms said that the total layoff in gaming studios worldwide certainly exceeds 4,000 when unverified cuts, undisclosed reductions and studio closures are added to verified layoffs.
It cited data showing that layoffs across the wider technology sector had reached at least 1,43,378 in June.
The United States remains the epicentre of video game industry layoffs in 2026, accounting for 2,153 confirmed job cuts or about 58.2 per cent of the global total.
The largest reductions were announced by Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine, which cut around 1,000 roles in one of the biggest layoffs ever seen in the video game industry.
Bungie, the studio behind Halo and Destiny, announced plans to lay off roughly 400 people this summer, while a number of other established developers and publishers have announced smaller rounds of redundancies throughout the year.
France was also hard hit, with four French game companies accounting for hundreds of job cuts. Ubisoft announced around 680 layoffs across multiple studios as part of a sweeping restructuring.
Canada has recorded at least 257 video game industry layoffs, with nearly half coming from Eidos-Montréal.
Canada recorded at least 257 gaming layoffs, including 124 at Eidos‑Montréal after the cancellation of a major AAA project. Several of 2026's gaming layoffs have escalated beyond workforce reductions and resulted in studios being shut down altogether.
Cloud & SaaS companies have cut nearly 31,900 jobs in 2026, while E-commerce firms have eliminated almost 21,000 positions and IT services companies more than 16,700. Social media platforms, enterprise software providers, and fintech firms have each shed over 10,000 workers.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a gamer, this is scary. But as someone who works in tech, I know the industry is super volatile. The layoffs at Epic and Bungie are huge—those were dream companies for many of us. I just hope the Indian gaming studios, like Nazara or Moonfrog, take note and build sustainable business models instead of relying on endless expansion.
The US and France are the worst hit. But let's be real: the whole global economy is shaky right now. I read that SaaS and e-commerce are also cutting jobs. It's not just gaming. The government needs to step up and support the IT sector more, maybe with better policies for startups and skill development. 🎮💔
I've been following the Indian game dev scene closely. While we're still small compared to the West, these layoffs could actually be an opportunity for Indian studios to hire experienced talent from abroad if they negotiate lower salaries. But mostly, this is a reminder that even the biggest names can fall. Humble beginnings and steady growth are better than huge hype and quick layoffs.
Honestly, this feels like the pandemic-era hiring spree backfiring. But it's the employees who suffer. I really feel for the ones who lost jobs at Bungie and Ubisoft. In India, we already have so many engineering grads struggling to find jobs. This global trend only makes the competition harder. Hope those affected find new roles soon. 🌸
All these layoffs and yet the industry made record revenues last year? Something is
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