ASGC Tracker Lifts 2026 Games Layoff Forecast to 14,259, Up 78% From January
Updated
Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 28
ASGC Tracker Lifts 2026 Games Layoff Forecast to 14,259, Up 78% From January
1 articles · Updated · GamesIndustry.biz · Jul 28
Summary
14,259 game-industry layoffs are now projected for 2026, up from ASGC’s January forecast of 8,025 and above the 9,781 already logged by July 26.
381 additional redundancies since the July 10 update drove the latest increase, including cuts at ZA/UM, 11 Bit Studios, Ubisoft Barcelona and Red Rover Interactive.
1,600 Xbox-related layoffs across Obsidian, Bethesda, Id Software and ZeniMax Online Studios had already pushed the tracker sharply higher earlier this month, though Microsoft’s remaining cuts could spill into 2027.
66% of layoff events and 79% of affected workers are in North America, with the US at 48% and Canada at 17%; Europe accounts for 30%, leaving those two regions at 95% combined.
2026 is now on track to top 2024’s estimated 15,631 layoffs after 2025 fell to 9,197, bringing the five-year projected total close to 60,000.