The running tally of games-industry job cuts has been revised upward three times since January, and the current forecast — 14,259 layoffs by the end of 2026 — would make this the second-worst year on record, behind 2024’s 15,631.
The Forecast Keeps Moving
| Date | Projected 2026 layoffs |
|---|---|
| January 2026 (initial) | 8,025 |
| July 10, 2026 | 13,878 |
| July 26, 2026 | 14,259 |
| Confirmed as of July 26 | 9,781 |
Amir Satvat, the Tencent Games business development director who maintains the ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker, was direct about the miss: “The pace of layoffs is accelerating faster than our models initially predicted.”
Confirmed losses had already reached 10,140 by August 11, with roughly 4,500 more expected over the rest of the year.
Where the Cuts Are Landing
| Region | Share of layoff events | Share of people affected |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 48% | — |
| Canada | 17% | — |
| North America total | 66% | 79% |
| Europe | 30% | — |
| North America + Europe | 95% | — |
The concentration reflects where the largest publishers and studios are headquartered. The five-year cumulative total across 2022–2026 is now approaching 60,000 jobs.
The Microsoft Overhang
An initial Xbox wave of 1,600 roles hit Obsidian Entertainment, Bethesda, id Software and ZeniMax Online Studios. A second tranche of 1,600 cuts is planned, but Satvat says the timing is unresolved: “I currently assume all will occur in 2026 and will revise the estimate as better information becomes available,” noting some could slip into the back half of Microsoft’s fiscal 2027.
Individual studio disclosures tracked in July alone included ZeniMax Media (158), ZeniMax Online Studios (350 and 20), Bethesda Game Studios (50), Ubisoft Barcelona (51), ZA/UM (32), 11 bit studios (20), Red Rover Interactive (22) and Double Fine (23).
The Bigger Problem: Hiring Stopped
The ASGC’s wider jobs data explains why this cycle feels different from previous downturns. Global headcount has effectively frozen at roughly 754,000 employees, up just 0.6% since 2022, even as ~48,000 jobs were lost and 52,500 were created elsewhere in that period.
- Net new job growth 2022–2026: ~1,100 per year, against 30,000–50,000 per year from 2017 to 2022
- North America’s workforce: down 19.2%
- Job seekers: 288,000, a global ratio of 5-to-1 and, in North America, 11-to-1 (127,000 applicants for 12,000 roles)
“The pie hasn’t shrunk, but there are far more people at the table than the size of the pie can accommodate,” Satvat said.
What Would Change the Number
Only two things push the forecast down: Microsoft deferring its remaining cuts into calendar 2027, or a wave of studios not cutting at all between now and December. Neither is currently visible.
Sources
- ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker
- New Game Network — Gaming Layoffs in 2026 Now Forecast to Surpass 14,000 Jobs
- GamesBeat / GameDev Reports — Amir Satvat: Layoffs in the Gaming Industry in 2026
- Inven Global — Global Gaming Industry Stagnates; North American Jobs Plummet 11%
- Channelnews — Gaming Layoffs Expected To Hit 14,000