Chris Deering, the former president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has faced backlash for his comments on recent layoffs in the gaming industry. Deering claimed that these layoffs were not due to corporate greed. He suggested that employees who lost their jobs could become Uber drivers or spend a year at the beach until job opportunities and rights are improved, which drew significant criticism.
Former Sony President’s Unconventional Advice
Deering appeared on Simon Parkin’s podcast, My Perfect Console, where the discussion focused on recent layoffs in the gaming industry.
Deering stated, “It is not fair to say that layoffs are due to greed. I always tried to minimize our rate of adding staff because I knew there would always be employee turnover, and I didn’t want to face the issues Sony experienced in Electronics.”
Although Deering acknowledged the recent layoffs at Sony, including the closure of London Studio, he argued that if no revenue is coming from the latest game, no producer would want to spend money on the next game, making layoffs a normal occurrence.
The former Sony executive continued with his controversial remarks:
“I think it’s probably very painful for managers, but I don’t see having skills in this field as a lifetime of poverty or limitation. This is like a pandemic, but now you need to go through a few things… Find a way to get through it, use Uber, or, I don’t know, find a cheap place to live and go to the beach for a year. But stay informed about the news and developments, because once you get off the train, it’s much harder to get back on.”
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