Microsoft layoffs will target Toys for Bob, Sledgehammer Games, and Infinity Ward

The Toys for Bob office in Novato, California, is closing down as a result of the recent Microsoft layoffs.

Microsoft is laying off 86 workers from the Activision Blizzard studio, known for developing Skylanders and Spyro Reignited, and closing down its physical office.

San Francisco Chronicle broke the news after spotting a state filing detailing the office closure. It means the fate of Toys for Bob under the Microsoft umbrella is currently unclear, although Windows Central managing editor Jez Corden has heard the studio itself will endure.

Toys for Bob was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2005 and was initially tasked with working on Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam. The developer was effectively turned into a Call of Duty: Warzone support studio in 2021.

Activision Blizzard studios in California will be hit hard by Microsoft layoffs

As detailed in a WARN report filed earlier this month (accessible via the EDD website), a huge chunk of the Microsoft job cuts will impact Activision Blizzard studios in California. Based on that document, it looks like 76 people will be losing their jobs at Sledgehammer Games' office on Hillside Boulevard in San Mateo.

Another 49 roles are being terminated at Infinity Ward's Burbank office, and 130 jobs are being cut at an Activision Blizzard location on Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica.

The company is also permanently laying off 79 staff at its corporate headquarters on Olympic Boulevard in Santa Monica, and cutting 479 roles at Blizzard Entertainment's office in Irvine.

Microsoft said it would be axing 1,900 jobs across its video game divisions. Each WARN notice mentioned above was filed on January 25, 2024, the same day Microsoft announced its restructuring plan. The layoffs will take effect on March 30 and will impact exactly 899 staff based in California. 

Game Developer has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.