ZeniMax Online Studios - Mass Layoffs (Retracted)
Reports of mass layoffs at ZeniMax Online's Galway location are not quite what we believed. GameInformer gives us more recent details.
My apologies for the error, and thanks to jhwisner for helping me correct it.
Earlier today, reports emerged that Zenimax had laid off approximately 300 employees at its Galway, Ireland location. We have received a statement from the publisher correcting significant inaccuracies in the report and giving us details of a scaleback that occurred months ago.
In a statement, the company says that it reduced staff by a much smaller margin in August. The location, which the Connacht Tribune (a local news outlet in Ireland) reported was “effectively shut down,” is still in operation.
“Following the successful console launch of The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited in June, we have a thriving console and PC online community,” a Zenimax representative told us via email. “We adjusted customer support levels in mid-August by reducing staffing by approximately 50 people to reflect the game’s stability and the needs of our players. This is a normal practice. We have been diligently working with the IDA, and the employees affected by this decision since the summer. We are disappointed by the inaccuracies in the report of the Connacht Tribune.”
The location in question serves as a customer service center for the European territory. Zenimax received financial consideration from the Ireland Industrial Development Agency (IDA) when the facility was opened in March 2011, explaining why the publisher was working with the agency to assist laid off employees.
Source: Game Informer