At least that’s what Chris Deering thinks. The former president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) does not share the opinion that layoffs within the industry have been the result of company greed. He has also recommended to those affected by these layoffs that they ‘should drive an Uber’ or ‘go to the beach for a year.’
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Subscribe (it's FREE) ►His controversial statements took place during the podcast My Perfect Console, hosted by Simon Parkin, a video game writer. During the show, Parkin and Deering talked about the thousands of layoffs that are taking place in video game companies.
For Deering, it was not ‘fair’ to attribute the layoffs to the ‘greed’ of the companies. ‘I always tried to minimize the speed at which we added personnel because I always knew there would be a cycle and I didn’t want to end up having the same problems that Sony had in electronics.’
Throughout his intervention, Deering explained that ‘it is probably very painful for executives, but I don’t think that being an expert in this area will mean having a life of poverty or limitations. It is still where the action is.’
For Deering, it is a period that will require perseverance from those who are laid off: ‘Find out how to overcome it, drive for Uber or whatever, find a cheap place to live and go to the beach for a year. But stay updated with the news and keep going, because if you get off the train, everything will become harder.’
Last February, Sony laid off 900 PlayStation employees, resulting in the closure of London Studio and staff reductions at Firesprite Studio. According to Eurogamer, in May of this same year, the number of layoffs in the industry exceeded 10,000. Adding to 2023, the figure rises to over 20,000.
