Final Fantasy 16 actor criticizes job security in the games industry amid thousands of lay offs: "Honestly, are we going to get serious?"

Ben Starr, the voice behind Final Fantasy 16’s main man Clive, called out the video game industry’s recent instability in a viral clip.

Ahead of his Golden Joystick win for Best Lead Performer, Ben Starr was asked about whether or not 2023 was the best year for games. Considering how many five-star games spawned from this year, in both the blockbuster and indie space, it’s no surprise to see Starr agree that this was an “astonishing year for the video games that have been made, but not necessarily for the industry that it reflects.” 

“Honestly, are we going to get serious?” the actor asks in the interview clip below. “It’s not a great year for video games in so far as all of the layoffs - it’s not great for that, and that needs to be spoken about at an event like this. Maybe there is something missing because a lot of people who made those games are no longer working at those companies and I think that also has to be respected.” 

Starr continues: “Hopefully this is the worst that it gets - I fear that it isn't - but I hope the industry figures out a way of course correcting and allowing those people who made these games we’re celebrating today to celebrate them as well and not be on the unemployment line.”

Layoffs and job insecurity have always been issues in the industry, but in 2023, the problem seems to have ballooned as almost every major tech company made cuts. Embracer Group - the megacorp that’s been on a spending spree for years - shut down the Saints Row studio, laid off staff at the Tomb Raider studio, and is eyeing up more studio closures before the holidays. 

Microsoft laid off 10,000 staff across all departments. CD Projekt Red went through three rounds of layoffs. Epic Games let go of 830 employees despite Fortnite’s record-breaking performance. BioWare and Bungie laid off staff that had been with the respective companies for over two decades, reportedly delaying Destiny 2’s next expansion and the Marathon reboot. And those examples only scratch the surface of how dire 2023 has been for developers, despite the industry’s growth. 

GTA 6’s publisher blames the layoffs on “the enthusiasm of the pandemic,” and believes that some companies overextended themselves during lockdown.