Why Has Blizzard Laid off 600 People?

Yesterday, Blizzard issued a press release titled simply “Blizzard Entertainment Announces Staff Reductions”. Of course, layoffs are never good news, no matter how simply or straightforwardly the news is delivered, but in the end, 600 people lost their jobs at the industry giant. The release goes on to add that “approximately 90% of the affected employees will come from departments not related to game development” and that World of Warcraft won’t shed any development staff.