Nintendo cuts 120 contractor roles ahead of new console launch
Nintendo has confirmed that it has cut approximately 120 contractor positions, with some former contractors being converted into full-time employees.
The details:
As reported by Kotaku's Ethan Gach, former and current Nintendo of America contractors claim the decision to cut 120 positions was part of a "massive downsizing" of the company's Washington-based testing team. This has happened during a “lull” in the department, with no major first-party titles to test and without any knowledge on when Nintendo’s next console would be in the hands of employees.
Nintendo confirmed the changes, stating that it had "reorganized its Product Testing functions to drive greater global integration in game development efforts." It stated that some contracts had expired, with severance packages provided to those affected, while also creating a "significant number" of full-time jobs for some.
It is unclear how many of the affected contractors have been offered permanent positions with the company as of yet. It's also worth noting that Nintendo's relationship with external contractors has reportedly strained in recent years, with employees feeling undervalued and requesting that the company hire them full-time rather than "exploiting loopholes."
Other recent layoffs:
