Elden Ring creator and FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki has said he won’t allow the devastating video game industry layoffs to affect his studio as long as he’s in charge.
Speaking to PC Gamer, Miyazaki said he can’t 100% guarantee FromSoftware will be safe from job losses — which have so far seen thousands lose their jobs across the likes of Embracer Group, Microsoft, and Sony — but wouldn’t allow it “as long as this company is [his] responsibility.”
FromSoftware is owned by Japanese organization Kadokawa Corporation so the decision isn’t wholly in Miyazaki’s hands, however. Microsoft, for example, shut down Redfall developer Arkane Austin alongside Hi-Fi Rush and Ghostwire Tokyo developer Tango Gameworks in May 2024 despite posting a 17% increase in revenue and $21.9 billion in profit in its latest financial earnings report.
But Miyazaki appeared confident Kadokawa shares his opinion on layoffs. “Speaking to myself and this company, I want to say that this is not something I would wish on the staff at FromSoftware in a million years,” he said. “I’m pretty sure our parent company Kadokawa understands that and shares that view.”
He then referenced former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who famously took a pay cut himself when profits were down instead of resorting to layoffs. “I sincerely doubt employees who fear that they may be laid off will be able to develop software titles that could impress people around the world,” Iwata said at the time.
Miyazaki echoed this statement. “I think it was the old ex-president of Nintendo, Iwata, who said ‘people who are afraid of losing their jobs are afraid of making good things.’ I’m paraphrasing that, but I totally share this view,” he said.
“I think it’s true, and I think the people at Kadokawa, our parent company, understand that I hold this view very strongly. While we can’t say 100% — we can’t say with complete certainty what the future’s going to hold for From and Kadokawa — at least as long as this company is my responsibility, that’s something I would not let happen. So hopefully our players and our fans can take a little bit of assurance from that.”
Miyazaki’s comments come just as Embracer shut down Alone in the Dark developer Pieces Interactive after the game failed to meet expectations. Pieces Interactive joins Free Radical Design, Onoma, and Volition Games as studios closed by Embracer in the last year amid layoffs affecting thousands of employees.
Image credit: Daniel Boczarski / Contributor at Getty Images
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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