Gree offers redundancy to 11 per cent of workforce
Mobile firm seeks to reduce headcount by 200, closes Osaka office
The struggling Japanese mobile firm Gree has offered a voluntary redundancy plan to its employees, with an aim of reducing its total headcount by 11 per cent.
According to a document sourced and translated by the Japanese market analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, around 200 of the Gree's 1,762 employees will be given the deal. The company will be accepting applications between October 9 and October 28.
The ultimate goal is to reduce costs. This is further supported by Gree's recent decision - reported by the Nikkei, and translated by Dr. Serkan Toto - to close its Osaka office. The company only opened the office last year, but its 30 employees now have to take voluntary redundancy or relocate to the Tokyo HQ.
Gree remains a profitable company, but its recent financial results have showed a steep year-on-year decline as investments in new games and IP have not paid off. In May, it laid off staff in its San Francisco office, followed by the closure of its body textBeijing office in June, and a London office in July.