100 support staff take cash offer and voluntarily leave Blizzard

Over 100 staff at Blizzard Entertainment's Cork office in Ireland, which houses the company's main European customer service operation, will be leaving by the end of 2018.

It's worth noting that these departures are part of a voluntary program which offers staff money to leave Blizzard, and are not mandatory.

However, this program has reportedly been offered to the Cork office multiple times, and the amount of money offered has increased. 

"It was too good to pass up. This is voluntary, do not get me wrong. But when you see a pile a cash in front of you, over and over again, you start to lose hope and cannot see a great situation ahead," explained an anonymous source speaking to Eurogamer.

They reportedly took the offer, which amounted to a year's pay.

The departure of such a large amount of staff has raised concerns over game support for Blizzard titles in the future, especially with remaining staff having to pick up extra work to cover those who have left.

"This means people will struggle to get the help they need and the people that are left in the office are being forced on to shifts they do not like to try and cover this massive loss," another source told Eurogamer. 

Blizzard confirmed the voluntary exit offer, but stressed that its staff were not pressured into doing so. "The employees who are choosing to leave the company later this month are taking advantage of a voluntary and longstanding program we offer in various locations around the world," the company said in a statement.

"This program, which has proven popular in the past, gives eligible staff the option to make the most of incentives while proactively pursuing other career opportunities. No one is required or encouraged to participate in this program, but for those who do, we work hard to make it generous."

The company said the level of customer service offered to European players will remain unchanged, and that there are no plans to close the Cork site.

Be sure to read the entire piece over at Eurogamer, which goes into more detail around the voluntary exits.