Playtika Lays Off 600 Employees

Mobile games firm Playtika is going to lay off some 600 of its employees. These 600 employees make up 15% of the company’s headcount.

In a statement explaining the situation, chief executive Robert Antokol said that the lay-offs were due to a wind down in “non-core products”, which likely means players will see some change in its features.

In a letter to Playtika employees, Antokol said: “The news I share with you today is difficult. After intense deliberation, we have decided to reduce our workforce by about 15%, saying goodbye to wonderful and talented colleagues and friends.

“This decision has not come easy, yet we think it necessary to best position Playtika for the future.”

Playtika appears to be regretting its recent acquisition of JustPlay.LOL, changing direction from diversifying its products to limiting them.

“As we assess the current environment and look toward the future, Playtika must return to our roots of excellence through agility, efficiency, creativity and being obsessed with winning to deliver the most fun forms of mobile entertainment to our players,” Antokol said.

“We will begin achieving this by balancing teams and redeploying talent, winding down non-core initiatives and consolidating studios for greater efficiency and a stronger focus on optimisation.”