Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2024
251. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the actions he has taken to reduce job losses at a company (details supplied) in Cork and ensure staff are reemployed quickly. [6141/24]
View answerActivision Blizzard Inc., a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp, develops and publishes interactive software products, entertainment content, and services for mobile devices, video game consoles, and personal computers. The company also develops film and television content and operates "esports" leagues and events. In 2007, Blizzard established its European games support centre in Cork.
In January 2024, Activision Blizzard Inc announced plans to reduce its current global workforce by 1,900 people across its video-game divisions. Its current global workforce is 17,000 people and Blizzard Entertainment in Cork will be potentially impacted.
While the IDA was immediately made aware of the company’s difficulties and the potential for redundancies in Cork, no specific detail was shared prior to its announcement. A meeting between the Irish leadership team and IDA then took place on 25th January 2024.
My and Government's immediate concerns are for the workers impacted and their families. To that end, all the appropriate supports across Government are at the disposal of those who may be made redundant.
IDA will continue to keep in close contact with Activision Blizzard’s Irish and US leadership teams and has offered continued support while the statutory, collective redundancy, consultation process takes place. In particular, the IDA has shared details on its Transformation supports for upskilling and reskilling and will work with its Southwest Regional Management team to that end. In particular, the protocol with all redundancy situations involving IDA client companies includes the IDA working with the company concerned to define skills profiles of impacted employees and to match those with existing and target client company skills requirements.
