Nintendo confirms contractor layoffs amid claims of testing “lull” ahead of Switch 2
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Nintendo has reportedly cut 120 contractor testing roles at its North American operation – with an unspecified number said to have been converted to full-time positions – as part of a major restructuring effort that comes amid claims of a testing “lull” ahead of Switch 2’s arrival.
That’s according to Kotaku, which describes the restructuring – based on word from a number of former and current contractors – as a “massive downsizing” of Nintendo’s Washington-based games and hardware testing team. While the publication’s story doesn’t put a number on the job cuts, reporter Ethan Gach said he understands “roughly 120 contractor positions have been eliminated at Nintendo of America” in a follow-up post on social media.
In a statement confirming its restructuring, Nintendo told Kotaku it had reorganised its Product Testing functions to “drive greater global integration in game development efforts” and “better align [Nintendo of America] with interregional testing procedures and operations.”
