An EA executive takes a jab at Microsoft’s mass layoffs: “Short-term results...”
EA Japan’s Shaun Noguchi criticizes shareholder-driven decisions after 9,000 employees are let go
Microsoft’s latest restructuring has drawn sharp criticism from inside the industry, with EA Japan’s general manager calling out the pursuit of short-term gains at the expense of long-term creativity.
Microsoft’s recent layoffs, impacting roughly 9,000 employees across its gaming division and other departments, have sparked widespread concern throughout the industry. Among the most vocal critics is Shaun Noguchi, general manager of EA Japan, who took to social media to express his dismay over what he sees as a troubling trend: sacrificing developer talent and long-term projects to satisfy shareholder expectations.
“Restructuring” means layoffs, and Japan sees it differently
Noguchi’s post, translated by Automaton and confirmed by multiple outlets, highlights a cultural divide in how corporate restructuring is perceived:
“The word ‘restructure’ often carries positive connotations such as rebuilding or improving efficiency and tends to be used somewhat vaguely overseas. However, in Japan, ‘restructures’ are very directly perceived as ‘layoffs,’ and their significant impact is more strongly felt.”
He emphasized that in Japan, the emotional and professional toll of layoffs is deeply understood, and that the industry’s increasing focus on short-term results from large-scale investments is undermining the very people who build games.
A critique of shareholder-driven decisions
Noguchi didn’t mince words when addressing the root cause:
“There’s been a growing tendency, particularly among foreign-affiliated businesses—to demand short-term results… A change in direction is made to meet shareholder expectations before sufficient time has been invested.”
This, he argues, leads to the cancellation of projects that developers have spent years building, often without ever seeing the light of day. The result is not just lost revenue, but lost morale, lost creativity, and lost trust.
Noguchi’s comments resonate in a year marked by studio closures, game cancellations, and mounting pressure on developers. While EA as a global company has faced its own criticism for layoffs, Noguchi’s perspective, shaped by Japan’s labor laws and cultural norms, offers a more empathetic view of the human cost behind corporate decisions.
His statement is a reminder that the gaming industry isn’t just driven by profits, it’s built by people. And when those people are discarded in pursuit of quarterly gains, the long-term damage may be far greater than any short-term benefit.
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