The Elder Scrolls Online: 300 employees laid off before Christmas [Update: Zenimax says “No”]

According to reports from an Irish newspaper, The Elder Scrolls Online has laid off 300 employees.

Update: Zenimax has made a statement addressing this. They are “disappointed” with the inaccuracies in the Connacht Tribune report. There is nothing to it. In August, 50 employees were laid off in Ireland after the successful console launch. This is common in the industry. They have worked hard to mitigate the separation for those affected. The support center in Galway remains open.

Original Article:

The establishment of a service center in Galway, Ireland, was announced in March 2011, and now employees have been laid off again.

A similar story had already occurred more than a year ago in June 2014. Then, the Irish local newspaper Connacht Tribune reported on their website that employees of Zenimax Online in Galway had lost their jobs. At that time, support staff were laid off after the PC release hype had ended.

It is unknown whether any new employees were hired in the meantime. In any case, the Connacht Tribune now reports: Before Christmas, about 300 employees in Galway lost their jobs. Zenimax essentially shut down in Galway, dismantled the tents. Only 5 or 6 employees would still be working at the European Customer Services Centre.

Since the first layoffs in June 2014, there have been two further waves of layoffs: once in September 2014 and once in August 2015. These layoffs also affected developers. At that time, it was said that this is just business; in development and at launch, many employees are needed, especially in support. After the launch, not as many are needed.

According to information from the local newspaper, a “source from the industry” said: The matter is over here. Half a dozen employees remained for the transition. It could be that something happens there again if a further release is upcoming for the company.

Even though no statement from Zenimax has been made yet, it can be assumed that they now consider the console launch to be “completed”. If there are more details about this matter, we will inform you.