Activision lays off 30 employees

Thirty workers lost their jobs today as Activision confirmed cuts as a result of business realignment.

The publisher is releasing fewer licensed games in 2013 and as a result is looking for ways to trim costs related to such products.

 "Like any successful business, Activision Publishing consistently works to align its costs with its revenues; this is an ongoing process," the company told Kotaku.

"In 2013, we expect to release fewer games based on license properties and as a result are realigning our structure to better reflect the market opportunities and our slate."

Activision points out this is a miniscule portion -one half of a percent – of its workforce, but though small in number they have still lost their jobs, and the company says it has offered those effected outplacement counseling services.

The company still has a few licensed games on the books for 2013, with The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct and the first of three Ninja Turtles games due for release, but its high-profile license for the James Bond franchise is set to expire this year.

Not all the cuts came from licensed games; Activision says some took place at Call of Duty developer Treyarch Studios.

"Now that we have launched Black Ops II, we are taking a minimal reduction in staff to better align our development talent against the needs of DLC development," said Activision.

"The release of the DLC will not be impacted by this move."