A number of woke activists, who had found employment at Square Enix, are being laid off after the company announced a new restructuring plan where it aims to save over $19.4 million annually.
Square Enix announced this new restructuring initiative as part of its progress report on its medium-term business plan, “In the current fiscal year, a fundamental restructuring of the overseas publishing organization is being implemented with the aim of further strengthening global publishing capabilities and improving operational efficiency.”
The company added, “Implementation of structural reforms in overseas publishing organizations to further strengthen global publishing capabilities and improve operational efficiency.”
“Under the policy of shifting from quantity to quality, a selective and focused approach is being implemented,” the report continued. “As a result of reviewing development titles and development structures in overseas operations, a restructuring expense of 11.8 billion yen is expected to be recorded in the fiscal year ending March 2026.”
This restructuring process aims “to strengthen development capabilities from a Group-wide perspective and to optimize resource allocation for maximizing the value generated by IPs.”
Additionally, the company conducted a review of its development pipeline and determined “to close overseas development studios and shift toward consolidating development functions in Japan.”
Furthermore, it is also having its IP management become globally integrated after it was “previously overseen by overseas development studios.”
Finally, the company declared, “development support functions and personnel allocation, both in Japan and overseas, will be reviewed from the perspective of overall Group optimization.”
As part of this restructure a number of woke activists shared on social media that they have either resigned from the company or been laid off. The company’s Chief Publishing Officer and Head of the Western Branch of Square Enix John Heinecke announced his resignation. He wrote on LinkedIn, “Yesterday I announced to my team at Square Enix that I have decided to resign from my role as Chief Publishing Officer effective on November 21st.”
In another post he revealed over 180 employees were laid off as part of the restructure, “Yesterday, a significant number of Square Enix employees across our London and Los Angeles offices were informed that their roles were being eliminated. This will add over 180 extremely talented professionals to the already long list of those impacted industry-wide by a changing and challenging gaming market landscape.”
Heinecke had previously responded to one individual who called for employees who had embraced woke ideology to be fired by writing, “Oh piss off.”
Heinecke was not the only woke activist at Square to exit the company. As initially discovered by TheReunionVII. They include Global PR Manager for Life is Strange Izzy Jagan, who was at the company for 5.5 years and features a rainbow flag and black power fist in her X bio.
Jagan also did an interview with Gayming Mag making it clear her goal entering the video game industry was to push DEI, “I was under no illusion that I couldn’t change it alone, but I knew I couldn’t be the only one who wanted to make a change – so I went into it with the goal to meet people in the industry who I shared common ground with to join forces
Additionally, an entry on the Square Enix Collective page notes, “Izzy’s love for video games has been lifelong, and her passion is doubled by the drive to bolster Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in all areas of the video games industry. Her goal being to play even a small part in making the industry accepting and welcoming to all.”
Sanda Chau, who is an Ambassador for the feminist activist group Women in Games, announced her job is at risk, “Hi everyone! Sadly my current role is at risk so I’m seeking new opportunities and would appreciate your support.”
To be clear, Women In Games’ first sentence on its About Us page is, “We are activists.”
The group adds, “s. We believe that getting more women into games and esports should be framed as a national, international and strategic priority, a business case for stronger teams, better insights, innovative new products. We believe in more people, more diversity and more perspectives.”
Niralee Modha, a Marketing Manager, announced she was laid off as well, “Sadly, it’s my turn to say that I have been impacted as part of the latest restructure at Square Enix and my current role is at risk of redundancy, as are many of my talented colleagues. Even though this isn’t the ideal outcome, I’m hopeful that it will mark the beginning of a new and exciting chapter.”
Back in 2021, Square Enix spotlighted her with a quote on X that read, “Being a person of colour and a woman in the industry I feel it’s important to represent my heritage and make my voice heard.”
Global Brand Manager Anne-Lou Grosboi-Favreau announced she left the company. She was a LimitBreak Mentor in 2023 and 2024. LimitBreak describes itself as “the largest mentorship program for marginalised people working in the UK Games industry.”
Grosboi-Favreau shared on LinkedIn, “On the eve of my 5-year anniversary at Square Enix, I’m sad to announce I’ve left the External Studios team! I’ve met a lot of exceptional people and made some lifelong friends, so it’s been an emotional goodbye for me, but it was time to move on.”
While a number of woke activists are getting laid off and leaving the company, Square Enix still lists Diversity, equity and inclusion as important to the company on its website. It reads, “The Square Enix Group believes in the importance of fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces - across the many rich facets of the human experience, including nationality, race, religion, thought and creed, age, gender, sexual orientation, and physical condition.”
“All of our locations work to increase representation, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across such areas as recruiting, training, teambuilding, and employee activities. We are encouraged by the progress we’ve seen through the years in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and continue to prioritize our work in this area,” it concludes.
Additionally, the company says, “We also create opportunities for education, inspiration, and awareness of the rich backgrounds, cultures and contributions that make up our diverse world including our workforce. Our initiatives include multiplatform campaigns, cultural spotlights (including for African American History Month, Women’s History Month, Pride Month, and AAPI Heritage Month), and the work of our Pride and Women in Gaming employee resource groups.”
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And nothing of value was lost.
I can't help but notice that not one of them is a programmer or even an artist. Dead weight.