Bloomberg: Activision Blizzard office in Versailles closes its doors

Activision Blizzard would have closed its Versailles office, according to Bloomberg sources. That office had about 400 employees and was involved in, among other things, locating games, marketing and customer service.Activision Blizzard would have initially planned to reposition half of its employees in London, concerned sources report to financial news agency. Bloomberg. However, Brexit and the coronavirus outbreak would have hindered this process. According to Bloomberg, it is not yet clear how many people will lose their jobs. Under French laws, employers holding layoffs must negotiate “ significant compensation packages ” for the employees involved, which the company said would learn more about the office closing next week. A spokesperson for the company has since confirmed that it plans to ‘reorganize its operations’. “Over the past year, we’ve explored how best to integrate our capabilities across the business to better leverage talent and expertise, while adapting to the needs of a fast-paced, highly competitive, digitally-focused industry” The publisher reportedly announced last year that it would cut 134 jobs in Versailles. Bloomberg writes that those employees would then have been kept in uncertainty for months, while Activision Blizzard negotiated compensation packages with the government. The company is also said to have quietly closed an office in The Hague earlier this year. A number of employees would have been transferred to other locations. In February 2019, the company also held a layoff round, in which nearly 800 employees were laid off.