DeviiLabor and Workplace6 min read
Games industry layoff forecast climbs to 14,259 for 2026
The ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker raised its 2026 projection to 14,259 affected roles by late July, about 78 percent above the January forecast.
By late July 2026, the ASGC Games Industry Layoffs Tracker put its full-year forecast at 14,259 affected roles. That is up from 13,878 earlier in July and roughly 78 percent higher than the 8,025 projection logged in January.
What moved the number
Confirmed cuts rose into the high 9,000s by July 26, with remaining estimated cuts still in the mid-4,000s. Fresh studio notices, including ZA/UM and Ubisoft Barcelona reductions, plus Microsoft's large July announcement, fed the revised total.
How to read it
These trackers count announced and estimated games-related cuts, not a claim that the audience vanished. The persistent story of 2026 remains cost structure and overbuild catching up with publishers who hired for a growth curve that flattened.